


Negotiations

by LPMidnight



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Arranged Marriage, Bloodplay, Bottom Armitage Hux, Daddy Issues, Dubious Consent, F/M, Inappropriate Use of Lightsabers, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Knifeplay, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren Angst, Negotiations, Porn With Plot, Possessive Kylo Ren, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rough Oral Sex, Smut, The Force, banter with vicrul, hux needs to stfu, hux wants to be held, i screamed a lot when writing this, i will immediately descend into hell when i die for this, inappropriate use of knives, mask kink, vicrul - Freeform, vicrul is baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 95,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26608495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LPMidnight/pseuds/LPMidnight
Summary: DISCLAIMER: This story is for mature audiences only. It contains scenes of graphic violence and sex.**Work in progress** New uploads every Tuesday!Before The Force Awakens, before Rey, there was you. You've been trained as a soldier for the Resistance since you could hold a blaster, the most accomplished female soldier of your age in history. You've been chosen by General Organa herself for a dangerous mission: negotiate peace with the First Order. You capture the attention of the dark Commander Kylo Ren upon your first visit to the Finalizer, extremely interested in the fact that he is unable to use his Force powers to get into your head. You fall deeper into politics and power struggles, all while wrestling with your own past and the truth of your ancestry.Spotify playlist links for all of our men! Just a collection of some songs that inspired some of my favorite scenes for each of them.Dane: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3zy2kYWVKqtrGdt1VCYm3o?si=Nca-IaIcQxmVhJz4ZLBPoAKylo: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MxDZN9ScOZzkZECcC6Jtc?si=hlaBXPc6STOJG4gCz7M2gQHux: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2EOYkBgiwnkrcnhRWVWxZT?si=lELzVIKrRPCvxLIvNz4LwA
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Reader, Kylo Ren/Reader, Kylo Ren/You
Comments: 91
Kudos: 187
Collections: General Hux Collection, Kylo Ren Collection, Kylo Ren X Reader





	1. Chapter 1

You stared out at the beams of light racing past the window of your compartment on the ship, arms folded a little too tightly over your knees. Into the belly of the beast, you thought with only a little contempt for the General. She was doing the best she could, given the circumstances. Rumors flew through the resistance that Kylo Ren was her son, but she’d never given any indication to the truth of the claim. Not that it mattered, anyway, you weren’t particularly close to her, and you’d have no qualms worming your way into Ren’s life and forcing his hand. Your mission had been laid out very clearly for you by your commanding officer: Negotiate peace with the First Order, or kill whoever you needed to topple them from the inside. You weren’t exactly sure why they’d chosen you, not that you weren’t an accomplished soldier, a disciplined mind, but you’d felt and heard the resentment of your male counterparts when they announced your name at that final strategy meeting. But that was all in the past now, you needed to focus on the plan, on how to get one of the most evil and violent men since Vader to agree to a ceasefire, to peace. You secretly hoped he wouldn’t, though, so you could watch him sink to his knees in surrender in front of you. Perhaps you’d even use his own weapon to remove his head from his body. The hot feeling of eyes on the back of your neck brought you out of your fantasy.

“The First Order has officially approved our arrival and stay on the Finalizer.” It was your partner for the mission, one of the men who worked directly beneath the General. He was a few years older than you, and someone that you supposed you’d drool over, had you been a normal teenager, with a gaggle of giggling girlfriends to talk boys with. What with his rich brown skin, strong jaw, large hands at the ends of his muscular arms. Hazel eyes to pierce into your soul. But, again, that was far from your childhood.

“Wonderful,” Your voice dripped heavily with sarcasm, and you stood to assess the wardrobe that had been provided for you. Lots of black, some thick, some silky. You supposed seducing Ren wasn’t out of the question. Perhaps that’s why they’d chosen you, the only female soldier in your rank. You stifled a snort.

“I think it would be best if I did the talking,” You shot your gaze over to your partner, your eyes narrowing to thin slits. “At least at this first meeting,” He added quickly, the flush in his cheeks just slightly visible over his warm brown skin. You remembered watching him train several years prior, wishing you could fight as he did, or at the very least be able to take him on. “It’s just that I know more about what the Resistance is capable of offering, the terms of any agreement that we could come to together.” He rambled on, and you turned your eyes back to the closet, pulling out one of the silky ebony dresses.

“In case you’ve forgotten, this is my mission. You are here as my resource. If I need advice on any of those matters, rest assured I will ask.” You stalked toward him, plastering a false smile over your lips. “Goodbye, now.” You shut the door on his unheard argument, sighing. This hadn’t been the first time a man had underestimated you, and felt pretty damn sure it wouldn’t be the last. Hopefully for Kylo Ren, it would be the last thing he ever did.

You’d dressed, tweaked your appearance with just the slightest touch of kohl and rouge to appear more feminine than you’d ever felt in your life, and stood in the main cabin of the ship as you dropped out of light speed and the monstrosity that was the Finalizer and its sister ships came into full view. If the First Order wasn’t such a vile organization, it would really be a marvel to look at. Nerves came over you in a flash of heat, the silky cape draped over your dress was suddenly stifling. Your weapons pressed solidly into your skin, a blade on your thigh, a blaster on your hip, a second, smaller blade hidden in your boot.

“Dane, sir,” Ah, Dane; you filed your partner’s name away for safekeeping. “We have been given permission to land in the main hangar.” The mousy brown-haired pilot spoke with a slight accent that you couldn’t place. You felt the landing gear rumble the ship as you neared the hangar, the same way that the hammering of your heart made your body seem to vibrate. You mentally kicked yourself; there was no room to be nervous, you had a feeling Ren could sense fear and you didn’t want him to sense anything but blatant disinterest. The ship settled to the ground, the door opening with a sigh of exhaust, ramp lowering slowly. You could see Dane looking at you out of the corner of your eye, but you kept your head high as you sauntered down the ramp ahead of him. There was a whole company of stormtroopers, hands on their blasters at their sides, several squad leaders, a red-headed general at the front, and, finally, your eyes locked on Ren. Dressed head to toe in black, a mask keeping his face fully covered. You wondered if you would recognize some of General Organa’s features underneath, or perhaps the infamous Han Solo, or if, like Vader, he was less human, more droid. You stopped in front of them, finally tearing your eyes away from Red to take in the red-headed General.

“Welcome,” He spoke, voice pinched and small. “I’m-”

“General Hux,” I interrupted, making his eyes widen at you, looking to Dane, and then back to you. “And Kylo Ren.” It was impossible to tell if Ren was looking at you. “A pleasure,” You didn’t offer to shake either of their hands. Dane was the first to make formal introductions, his tone when he said your name seeming to apologize for your behavior. Ren said nothing. Hux’s eyes roved over you disapprovingly.

“Aren’t you a little…” His eyes narrowed slightly as he searched for the right words. “Ah… young, to be running point on such an important meeting?”

“Is it that I’m young, or is it that I am a girl, General?” The words had slipped out of your mouth without thinking. You didn’t look at Dane for his reaction, but noted Ren’s head tilting to the side. He was definitely looking at you now. Hux’s face turned a delicate shade of red, nearly purple, his jaw twitching in irritation.

“Shall we, then?” Hux turned on his heel rather stiffly, hands clasped too tightly behind his back. The stormtroopers made way for us in unison, hands still trained on their blasters. Dane fell into step beside you .  
“Are you trying to get us killed?” He hissed at you, softly, so that Hux and Ren wouldn’t hear.

“If I was given a simple baseline of respect, perhaps I wouldn’t have to put every man I meet in his place.” You took great pleasure in the way he clamped his jaw shut, fuming. A small, satisfied smile played on your lips as Hux and Ren led you down a hallway, into a large meeting room. A long metal table took up most of the space, Ren taking a seat at the western head, Hux just beside him. You took the eastern head, and not just to spite Dane. You were, in fact, running point on this meeting, so you may as well act like it, even if nobody would treat you as such. Lieutenants and colonels filled the seats between you and Ren, Dane immediately to your left. An armed stormtrooper took their place in each corner of the rectangular room. Several droids entered the room from a hidden panel door, serving small appetizers and wine in silver chalices. You eyed it with distaste. Hux took a long dreg from his cup, eyes on you.

“We haven’t poisoned it, you know.” He folded his hands on the table. Dane took a sip from his, a bite of the food, if only to be polite.

“We did not come here for frivolity.” Ren tapped a gloved finger on the table slowly as you spoke, also not eating, though if for no other reason than his mask. “Let’s just get to the point, General. It’s no secret that the Resistance wants peace. We would like to know what your terms would be to achieve that.”

“Perhaps if you examined what your group has named themselves, you would see why we are hesitant to negotiate.” Hux began, his brows knitting together. “You resist the frankly positive changes we wish to implement in the galaxy.”

“Do you deny that your organization runs on the basic principles of the Galactic Empire?” You particularly fixed your eyes upon Grand Admiral Sloane, whose prior presence in the Empire was undeniable.

“The only thing we want is to unify the galaxy, to improve the processes already set in place by the New Republic.” Hux continued, the speech so rehearsed you nearly laughed.

“If that were the case, then why build up an army? Why build secret armories and research labs?”

“You have no proof.” Hux was right, there was no concrete proof, but his reaction told you all you needed to know.

“General Organa has many credible sources.” You kept your calm, Hux’s anger was laughable. You trained your gaze on Ren, to see any reaction to the General’s mention. Nothing.

“I’m curious, as to why she sent you two in her stead. Could she not spare a few days to make these negotiations herself?” Hux smirked. “Perhaps she does not deem them quite important enough for her personally.” Dane raced to speak before you could dig a deeper hole for yourself.

“General Organa has many matters that need her direct attention, and has many around her that she trusts implicitly to speak in her stead.” All eyes in the room fixed on Dane, except for yours. Ren’s head was turned slightly to the left, but you felt his eyes on you under the mask. “So, General Hux, Commander Ren, what can we do to assure that we will have peace?” Dane was a talented diplomat, that was for sure. You ought to take a page out of his book and learn something. But riling them up was so much more fun.

“I suppose asking to disband the Resistance is out of the question?” I rolled my eyes, sitting back in my chair and folding my arms over my chest.

“As long as the First Order exists, the Resistance will as well.” Dane countered, shooting you a warning look that clearly said, behave. 

“Very well, then I suppose we,” He looked to Ren and swallowed audibly. “We would like representation in the Galactic Senate.” 

“Alright,” It took everything in you not to let your mouth drop open at that. The First Order having a place in the Senate? How could the Resistance possibly be okay with this? “We ask that you disband your armies and shut down your research labs, until which time you have a majority vote from the Senate to open them.” 

“We could, perhaps, send the soldiers we have already acquired to train with the New Republic's. Join forces, as they say.” Hux smiled, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You nearly snorted, that was ridiculous.

“I’m sure that would be appreciated.” You shot an alarmed glance at Dane, surely he couldn’t be that stupid. 

“Wonderful. I must admit, I was under the impression that this meeting would compare more to pulling teeth, but, Dane, you have been quite pleasant.” It was no longer possible for you to remain quiet.

“And how will we ensure that the soldiers you so generously provide to the New Republic won’t run home with military secrets the first chance they get?” You ground your teeth together, nostrils flaring as you slammed your hand on the table. Dane shot you yet another warning look, but did not interrupt. You supposed he wanted to hear the answer just as much as you.

“I give you my word, as will everyone on this council, that once the soldiers join the New Republic’s ranks, they have cut all ties with the First Order.” Hux stared directly at me as he spoke again, “After all, what is an alliance without trust?” Dane kicked you under the table before you could tell Hux exactly how much faith you put in him. 

“We will, of course, have to confer with our General. She has the final say.” Dane said as you shook your head at him. This was supposed to have been your meeting.

“Of course, I’m sure you are tired after your long journey. We have rooms prepared for you.”

“We will be retiring to our ship, thank you.” You needed to discuss this with Dane. and the General in private. You couldn’t be sure that the prepared rooms hadn’t been bugged. 

“We will gladly accept the rooms you have prepared for us, General Hux. Please let us convene in our ship and discuss the terms of our agreement with General Organa, and then we will be shown to our rooms. Thank you.” One last furious look around the room, all of the men at the table on their feet. 

“Of course.” General Hux pointed to the door, seeming to give us permission to leave the table. You followed after Dane, fury building with each stride. As soon as the door to the ship shut, you exploded.

“Are you out of your mind?” The crew of the ship melted into the shadows. “Representation in the senate, joining the republic’s forces with the brainwashed first order troopers?” 

“We are lucky they didn’t ask for more.” Dane turned his serene brown eyes on you and sighed. “We have credible word that the First Order has been planning an attack on D’Qar.” He fell into one of the chairs, his shoulders collapsing inward with defeat.

“General Organa will do almost anything to prevent the destruction of our base. Imagine what they would do if left unchecked.”

“And how does giving them more power help?” 

“Leia will appreciate working closely with General Hux, perhaps she could gather more intel than we ever thought possible.”

“This is madness. General Organa will never stand for this.” You pressed a button on the side of the ship, shades lowering over the windows, the room dimming as the translucent shape of General Organa appeared in the middle of the table.

“Dane,” She said your name like she knew every intimate detail of your life. It made you slightly uncomfortable. “What do they want?” Dane explained the meeting, the terms of the agreement we had come to. To your immense surprise, General Organa looked pleased. 

“This is the best-case scenario. You assume General Hux will take the position? Not, perhaps, Kylo Ren?” Even through the hologram, you saw a darkness wash over her expression that intrigued you.

“Ren seemed to barely understand what was going on, all intimidation under that mask of his. If the First Order sends him as their representative, they would be more foolish than I thought.”

“Very well. I will contact the Chancellor and get the details ironed out. Expect a virtual meeting with him during negotiations tomorrow. As for the army, that will be difficult. But, I’m sure the chancellor would approve. The Republic is short on soldiers as it is. Captain Phasma especially would be a welcome addition to the special forces.”

“General!” You exclaimed, nearly leaping out of your seat. “Don’t you see that this is a trap? Those soldiers will be loyal to the First Order alone! They will bring us down from the inside!” 

“Yes, that is likely the plot. But have you considered that we may be able to do the very same to them? It’s likely many of their soldiers don’t even know what they’re fighting for, just blindly following orders.” 

“It seems foolish to risk the alternative.” Dane shot you a furious glance. 

“I appreciate your honesty. But I fear we don’t have a choice.” She looked back at Dane. “Thank you, both of you,” She added, “for your hard work and negotiation skills. I have not sent you on an easy mission.” She turned to you, gaze intense. “I have a proposition for you.” You turned in your seat, seeing if anyone stood behind you. No, she was definitely speaking to you. 

“Of course, General, what can I do?” It was obvious from Dane’s blank stare that this had not been pre-discussed. 

“I need someone to stay behind on the Finalizer, to be, well, to be frank, I’d like a spy, a direct line to the First Order. Formally, a liaison.” You couldn’t keep your jaw from dropping. 

“Leia, please! She is untrained, untested, a diplomatic disaster at best! I would be happy to stay behind myself-“ The general cut him off. 

“I don’t want a diplomat, I want a spy. I am confident she is perfect for the role. Besides, I need you here, Dane.”

“You should’ve seen her behavior at the meeting today, ruffling feathers, trampling over people, this meeting would not have been successful had I not saved it!” 

“Dane, please,” He turned a deep red as she reprimanded him. “I saw flashes of your arrival through the force. Kylo Ren is quite intrigued with you.” You felt yourself flush despite yourself, unsure if it was the recognition from the General or that Kylo Ren had been thinking of you. The latter was unacceptable, so you pushed the thought away. 

“I would be honored to serve the Resistance in any way I can, General.” Dane scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Thank you. Dane, I trust that you will set this up for us. It is invaluable information that could ultimately bring us victory. I will speak with you both tomorrow.” The hologram blinked out of existence and Dane immediately stormed out. You walked to the window after the shades retracted, looking out over the TIE fighters and other ships assembled in the hangar, the engineers, troopers, and admirals running around. Your new home.


	2. Can't Get It Up?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The negotiations continue, you have a surprising encounter with a visitor in your quarters. You are appointed liaison between the Resistance and the First Order. Some unexpected feelings come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise we're getting to the good stuff ;) 
> 
> I always use music to inspire my writing, this song was the inspiration for a specific scene in this chapter!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxfe5nZ9ao8
> 
> Enjoy!

You were led to your room by a trooper a short time later. It was a modest chamber, marble floors and black-panel walls. The large bed in the middle of the room was comfortable, with silken sheets and a soft gray comforter. You sent a service droid for your clothing back on the ship, to be placed in the black wooden wardrobe, ornately carved with designs. Dane’s room was next door, but you supposed not for long. He would be returning to D’Qar soon, and this would be your domain. You wandered into the connected bathroom, a large, porcelain clawfoot tub extending into the middle of the room. You dreamt of drawing a warm bath, lighting candles, and soaking in the water for hours. There was a swift knock on your door before the mechanism slid open. 

“I am to take you to the dining hall, my lady.” You eyed the stormtrooper, voice distorted by his mask. 

“Yes, thank you.” You hadn’t eaten since before boarding your ship to come here, and your stomach grumbled. You followed him down a series of complicated hallways, unsure if you’d ever be able to remember the way. Finally, he led you into a large room, bolstering with conversation, laughter, the scent of savory delicacies. It almost reminded you of the mess hall at home, and your heart gave an unexpected pang. You weren’t sure when you’d go home again. Kylo Ren’s head turned toward you when you entered, it was the first thing you noticed. That, and the empty seat directly across from him. Dane was already seated between Hux and Ren, so you supposed it was for you. 

“Right this way,” You strode in front of your guide and stood in front of the seat, looking down on Ren with an intense stare. All you could see was your reflection staring back at you. 

“Good evening, Commander Ren.” You let his name roll off your tongue slowly, deliberately and lowered yourself into the chair as Hux began to speak.

“I hope your quarters are to your liking.” You took a breath and flashed your eyes back at Ren. 

“They are adequate, thank you.” Dane launched into more diplomatic conversation with General Hux, but there was a change in the air around you. It felt loaded, almost as though electricity crackled, invisible, through the air. Kylo Ren’s fist clenched on the table before he got up and stormed away without a word. You couldn’t help but smirk to yourself.

After dinner, you strolled beside Dane back to your rooms, bidding him a goodnight as he entered his room. You’d started pulling your hair out of the elaborate braids absentmindedly, nearly running into a large, dark shape standing in the middle of your room. You jumped, pulling your blaster from your hip and pointing it at… Kylo Ren. With a wave of his hand, your weapon clattered on the floor. 

“Commander Ren,” You felt a flutter of nerves in your stomach. Had you pushed him too far at dinner? You’d only meant to throw him off, maybe intimidate him a little. “I don’t remember issuing an invitation to join me in my chambers.” He took a step toward you, so silent, so tall… your confidence trembled. 

“You are very opinionated for a low-level soldier.” His voice, though distorted through the mask, was deep, with some raw quality to it that made you want to squirm out of his line of sight. 

“You are very quiet for a high ranking commander.” You retorted, trying to keep your tone steady as he towered over you. “No opinion on our negotiations?” He pondered for a moment, clenching his fist, then relaxing it. 

“Hux is good with words,” He began to circle around you, a predator circling his prey. “I am better with my lightsaber.” You glanced over your shoulder at the large hand curled around the metal hilt, and swallowed. 

“So why even involve you in our negotiations then, if you’re little more than an attack dog.” You could practically see your life flash before your eyes as he whirled around to stand in front of you, leaning down so his mask was centimeters from your face. He was fast, but you were too. The blade that had been strapped to your thigh was pressed against the thin black cloth covering his throat. 

“Don’t insult me.” He spoke slowly, deliberately, as if your knife were made of plastic. He brought his hand up, curling it into a ‘C’, and you took a gasp of air, but found that you could breathe just fine. He focused more intently, willing the force to choke the life out of you. You began to laugh.

“What’s wrong, Ren? Can’t get it up?” Your knife fell from your hands as he changed tactics, shoving you back against the wall, your head clanging against the metal panels. His hand wrapped easily around your neck, squeezing with practiced pressure. 

“What are you?” Black spots peppered your vision as he squeezed again, you clawed at his hand.

“What the hell is going on here?” A new voice entered the room; Dane. You dropped to the ground, gasping for air, rubbing your throat where he’d held his iron grip. 

“You’d be wise to tell your soldier to watch her tongue.” Ren spat, pointing a gloved finger at you. 

“Commander, she is your guest, I must insist you treat her with respect. I’m sure General Hux would agree.” You were more than a little surprised that he was defending you. You met his eyes with gratitude. 

“I don’t answer to Hux.” He hissed, storming from the room with a swirl of his midnight cape, shoving Dane back against the opposite wall with a twitch of a finger. Just to prove that he still could. Dane rushed to your side, offering a hand to help you to your feet. You ignored it, but he didn’t seem to be phased.

“I’ll tell Leia that this simply won’t work. We’ll go back to base together tomorrow.” He stated in a soft voice. 

“Dane, I’m touched,” You put your hand over your heart sarcastically. “You actually do care about me.” He shot you a look.

“I don’t want any one of our own to be left alone with that murderous bastard. What was he doing here?”

“He was here when I got back from dinner. Intimidation tactic, I suppose.” Something like fury burned in his eyes as he threw his gaze over his shoulder, ensuring Ren hadn’t come back.

“I don’t like how interested he is in you, not one bit. We should find another candidate for our liaison. Please,” He said your name with a sort of tenderness that made you feel strange. It wasn’t something you were used to, someone caring about you. Even someone pretending to care. 

“I can handle Kylo Ren.” You said, mostly to convince yourself. You felt anger flowing hot through your veins, he wouldn’t get away with treating you like that. But you weren’t going to run off and tattle to Hux either, you’d bide your time and find a way to repay his little visit. “He won’t get away with doing that again.” Dane looked a little panicked.

“You will not risk the fragile peace we are ensuring, especially not for Ren.” 

“There’s the Dane I know and love. I was worried there for a minute.” He rolled his eyes at you, getting to his feet and turning to leave. 

“I’m going to put my trust in you, because Leia seems to believe this is a good idea. Don’t make me regret it.” You blew him a kiss and smirked, but he stopped in the doorway. “If he touches you again, he’ll have to answer to me once you’re finished with him.” You felt your breath hitch in your throat, but then he was gone. Kylo Ren had no idea what was coming for him. 

The next morning you took great care in dressing, ensuring the deep purple bruises on your neck were on full display. You hoped Ren was nervous by it, was nervous that you wouldn’t cower from his “display” of power. Dane was standing outside your room when you came out, his eyes widening at your appearance. 

“Your neck!” A group of stormtroopers passed you, two of them glancing back to stare at you. You gave them your best raging bitch stare. 

“Figured I’d give Ren a full view of his handiwork.” Dane shook his head at you, but smirked a little, nonetheless. Ren wasn’t at breakfast, but as one of the troopers led you back to the conference room, he was there, lounging at the head of the table nonchalantly. Bored, even. Hux entered through a hidden door panel in the wall, his sharp, pale features unusually gleeful. You took your seat at the opposite head of Ren, careful to stare straight into where his eyes would be under the damn mask, his fingers tapping slowly on the table. The others filed in, taking their seats and awaiting the beginning of the negotiations. 

“Your- what happened to you?” You were glaring so intently at Kylo Ren’s helmet, that you didn’t realize Hux was talking to you. He called your name, breaking your trance. 

“I had an unwanted visitor in my room last night.” A nervous murmur flitted through the room. Hux swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He looked from your bruised neck to Ren, then back. 

“Right, well, let us resume negotiations. Dane, I trust that General Organa has set up our meeting with the Chancellor?” 

The meeting droned on, General Hux was unsurprisingly chosen as the Senate representative. Ren was allowed to keep several troopers in his own personal guard, the rest distributed throughout the ranks of the republic. You ignored Ren for the majority of the day, despite him speaking up several times, with comments seemingly directed at you. Hux shot him a dark look when he mentioned that the Resistance was choking the life out of the First Order. 

“Last but not least, General Organa has one request of the First Order.” It had already been decided that Dane would be the one to bring it up, at the very end of the meeting, when most of the arrangements had already been set in place. “She would like a formal liaison between our two organizations, someone to stay here and be a first line of communication. It is the reason that she sent us both.” Out of the corner of your eye, Ren sat up a bit straighter. 

“That seems…” General Hux glanced nervously down at your neck. “Fair.” He could barely choke the word out. “What are the exact terms of this liaison position?”

“I will accompany you to Senate meetings, as well as hold a formal meeting with your council twice a week. I will stay here on the Finalizer and meet virtually with General Organa once a week. Any business you must discuss with the Resistance will go through me. Understood?” 

“I suppose that is agreeable.” Hux looked most displeased, but you smirked at him. 

“I also have a request.” Every head in the room turned to Kylo Ren, his hands splayed across the table. “I think our liaison should learn about the history of our organization, the principles and purpose of our mission, in order to avoid conflicts of interest. And a 24/7 guard unit to ensure she does not go where she is not wanted.” Hux tilted his head to the side as he considered Ren’s request.

“And who will be teaching me?” You narrowed your eyes at the blank mask, half wishing you could have the satisfaction of seeing his expression.

“I have plenty of experience on the topic.” 

“No!” Dane was standing, waving a finger in Ren’s direction. “I will not have you alone with her again.”

“Dane, please.” You held your head high, tilting the bruises on the side of your neck in Hux’s direction. “If Commander Ren loses his temper, there will be consequences.” Hux shot Ren a look out of the corner of your eye. “Keep the dog on a shorter leash, as they say.” Ren shot out of his chair, hands gripping the edge of the table with such force you were sure it would snap. 

“Commander Ren,” Hux snapped, “Sit.” A vein protruded in his forehead as he struggled to keep his own temper. Ren clenched his fists and turned on Hux, the air in the room seeming to turn to cement with tension. “We will require a short recess, I think.” Hux glanced back to you and Dane, an unspoken apology in his expression. 

“Of course.” You motioned to Dane with a nod of your head and he followed you out of the room. You strode slightly in front of Dane down the long, black-paneled hall toward your ship, but Dane tugged on your arm, pulling you into a small storage closet. 

“What are you doing?” Dane’s fingers gripped your arm uncharacteristically hard. 

“I’m convinced you have a death wish.” You ripped your arm from his grasp and he sighed, flexing his fingers. “He will kill you if you keep pushing him like that.” You rolled your eyes, rubbing your hand over the tender skin on your neck reflexively, turning away from him.

“I want someone to put Kylo Ren in his place. He struts around this ship unchecked and that’s a danger to our mission.” Dane pulled you back to face him, his eyes glittering with something… passion? Anger?

“Your death is a danger to our mission!” You stepped closer to him, puffing out your chest in a show of intimidation, but he didn’t back away.

“Soldiers are replaceable.” You hadn’t noticed how tall Dane was, how he had to look down to make eye contact with you, how his hard brown eyes could light up with this new emotion. How it seemed to be for you.

“You’re not replaceable.” His voice was barely a whisper, this husky tone coming from the back of his throat made your blood throb in your veins. 

“Dane,” You meant it as a warning, but it was what pushed him over the edge. He shoved you backwards, your body hitting the wall behind you with a thud. Dane’s hand behind your head kept it from slamming into the wall. His lips came crashing down onto yours and you couldn’t help but freeze in shock. How long had this been going on? You were sure he’d despised you, hated how reckless you were, how every word that came out of your mouth was met with his chastisement. You lost yourself for just a moment, but ultimately put your hands on his chest and pushed, turning your head out of his. The hurt on his face was jarring. 

“This is hardly appropriate.” Your body was screaming at you, chest heaving, heartbeat thrumming wildly, aching in places that had been asleep for too long. Dane stepped away, not meeting your eyes and cleared his throat.

“You’re right, of course.” He swallowed hard. “Please forgive my grossly inappropriate behavior.” Images of those large hands gripping your hips flashed, unwelcome, through your mind. 

“I-” You sputtered, trying to think of some way to cut through the awkward energy in the small closet. “You’re leaving, Dane. I’m staying here.” He finally looked at you, that spark in his eyes fading quickly. “It wouldn’t work.” 

“I know.” He shook his head and laughed humorlessly. “It was stupid. I swear it won’t happen again.” Without another glance toward you, he left the room.


	3. New Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are officially sworn in as the liaison between the First Order and the Republic, complete with body guards. You find yourself feeling a whole host of new, strange emotions at the hands of not only a masked stranger, but also someone who you'd had every reason to believe hated you. Perhaps that will lead to some interesting thoughts when you finally have some time to relax in that big, steamy bathtub...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Had the week from hell. Pls enjoy ;)

When you returned to the meeting, Dane didn’t meet your gaze. You couldn’t help but look at him differently now; the strong, sharp edge of his jaw, the smoothness of his brown skin, the swirling designs of the tattoos disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. It took you a moment to realize that Kylo Ren was absent.   
“The commander has some pressing matters to attend to. He wishes to extend his apologies for his absence.” You could barely repress a snort. Hux turned his glance to you. “I can assure you that if you do not wish to be alone with Commander Ren, you do not have to be. If you wish to learn about the history of our organization, I am happy to speak with you myself.”  
“Thank you,” You responded, if only for Dane’s sake. You would certainly be finding yourself alone with Kylo Ren again, and he would regret the day he put on that ridiculous helmet. Dane stood, his gaze snagging on you so quickly that you barely caught it out of the corner of your eye.   
“I appreciate your cooperation and generosity in these negotiations. General Organa is very pleased with the arrangements we’ve made over these last few days. I trust that having a liaison is of the utmost importance to the First Order, and you will take her seriously. She will be the key to keeping our alliance intact.” You shot a small smile at Dane, trusting that he saw even though he was avoiding your gaze.   
“Yes, I agree. I can personally assure that she will be treated with respect.” You nearly rolled your eyes; it was unlikely that Hux pulled much weight over Kylo Ren.   
“I am looking forward to working closely with this council.” And with your last words, the meeting was adjourned. Dane slipped out of the room before any of the other council members, before you could catch him. Someone called your name, pulling you back into the room as you set out to follow Dane.   
“I’d like to introduce you to your personal guard.” Hux stood tall, his hands folded tightly behind his back. You scowled, folding your arms over your chest and narrowing your eyes into slits.   
“I don’t need a team of babysitters following me everywhere I go, General.” His features shifted, as though amused.   
“I would disagree. I have a hard time believing that you’ll keep your nose out of places you don’t belong.”   
“Hm, you do have a set of balls somewhere under that uniform.” You deliberately raked your gaze up and down his thin frame, watching with satisfaction as his jaw clenched with irritation, a flaming blush staining his cheeks. “I suppose I’d do the same thing if our roles were reversed.”   
“It would be in your best interest to stay on my good side. There is only so much sway I have over Kylo Ren.”   
“Interesting. According to him, you have no sway over him at all. It was an enlightening conversation we had, after he nearly strangled me to death, of course. If you’re going to threaten me, General, I’d get a little more creative.” Hux pressed his lips into a thin line. “Go on, show me to my babysitters.” You were unsurprised to find a duo of faceless stormtroopers, blasters in hand. Hux gave them explicit orders to never leave you alone outside of your quarters, not bothering with introductions.   
“I’m sure I’ll see you soon, General Hux.” He didn’t bother turning around or replying. You nodded at your stormtroopers. “Come on, you two. We’re about to become really close friends.” You smirked as they shot each other a quick glance before falling into step behind you. 

You tried to keep your pace unbothered as you braved the maze-like hallways, your guard in tow, back to the ship. Dane wouldn’t have left without at least saying goodbye, right? You finally rounded the corner, nearly jogging, and breathed a sigh of relief that the ship was still there. You approached the ramp and turned to your stormtroopers.   
“You can wait out here.”   
“We’re supposed to always have eyes on you, we have orders from-” The one on the left spoke, voice muffled through the mechanical mouthpiece of their mask.   
“You’ll wait out here or you will suddenly find your head to be unattached from the rest of your body.” The stormtroopers did not follow you up the ramp. You called out Dane’s name as you rounded the corner into the common area of the ship, but it was empty. Even the crew seemed to be gone. You moved toward the cockpit, looking for anyone that could tell you if Dane had been here. Again, empty. There was a hum of electricity from behind you, as the ramp to the ship rose to shut. You turned back toward the common area, but the energy in the air felt different, almost charged. Kylo Ren was leaning against the wall, the lights so low they were nearly off. You stopped in your tracks, the only sound your heart thrumming against your ribs.   
“What are you doing here?” You concentrated hard to keep your voice steady. Ren raised his hand to you, attempting once again to use the force against you. Nothing happened.   
“How do you resist?” You stayed very still as he came toward you, assessing the time it would take you to get to the control panel to open the ramp, how with it shut, no one would hear you scream. “Are you a jedi?” He stopped in front of you and stooped down to look in your eyes. Your own face reflected back at you, fear in your eyes betraying your glare. “No, I’d be able to sense it.” His hand, every inch of skin covered in black leather, reached to you, and you flinched. He slowed, but didn’t retract. Leather caressed your jaw before he caught your chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting your chin up with force.   
“I’m nothing, I’m definitely not a jedi.” Your face burned with anger. “I’m just a soldier.” The bruises on your neck seemed to pulse in time with the rapid beat of your heart.  
“You’re afraid.”   
“No.” You retorted, a little too forcefully, and ripped your face from his grasp. He laughed, though the mask made it sound humorless.   
“Maybe you should be.” He stepped closer, herding you backwards until you ran into the wall of the ship with your back.   
“You won’t get the reaction that you want out of me.” Your voice trembled just slightly, and he noticed. He continued his ascent toward you, so close now that you could feel the heat coming from him, and then his hand was pressed against the wall beside your head. Your breath came shallow and a strange burning radiated up from your core. You made an involuntary noise as his body pressed up against you, solid steel beneath the soft fabric of his black and gray robes. You turned your face to the side, one cheek pressed against the cold wall, the other brushed by the surprisingly warm metal of Ren’s helmet. Fire and ice. You stayed silent, praying he couldn’t tell how terrified you were, that he could so easily overpower you from this position. You couldn’t let him know he was intimidating you, even as his hand slid over your waist, following the bottom of your right rib cage to your lower back. With a swift movement, he knocked your feet out from under you, knees slamming into the hard floor, catching yourself with the heels of your hands. You glared up at him, his gloved hand now resting lazily on the lightsaber at his hip.   
“I have you right where I want you.” He turned on his heel and swept away, opening the ramp with a flick of his hand, leaving you alone on your knees. Your face burned hot with shame as you realized the feeling emanating from your core wasn’t anger, or even your eagerness to prove you were better than him. It was desire. 

Red-faced and mind reeling, you raced down the ramp of the ship, not making eye contact with either of your stormtrooper body guards. You followed the hallway back to your bedroom, and nearly smacked into Dane, coming out of his. You both stared at each other for a moment, an odd expression on Dane’s face.   
“When do you leave for home?” You finally broke the tense silence, still a little breathless from your run-in with Ren.   
“I-uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the floor. “I was headed there now to get the crew together.”   
“Oh.” You were suddenly very aware of the audience behind you and tugged on Dane’s sleeve, pulling him into your room and letting the doors slide shut behind you. Your babysitters did not follow you inside. “Dane, please, let’s not end things like this.” He surprised you by clenching his fist and narrowing his eyes at you.  
“That’s easy for you to say,” He took a deep breath, his face softening. “Look, I’ve been watching you from a distance since our training days. I just thought that being paired together on this trip was some sort of…” He looked anywhere but your eyes. “Destiny.” He sighed. “I was wrong. I understand, I don’t blame you by any means. It’s just going to be easier for me not to pretend there’s hope.” You were again dumbfounded by his declaration. You’d watched him from afar, too, never imagining that there was any sort of chance he’d been doing the same. And you’d been okay with that, being a good soldier meant that you had little room in your life for frivolity, and romance was at the top of that list. Now, you didn’t know exactly what to do or say. You chewed the inside of your cheek as you thought, letting your stomach twist and flutter with nerves. What had gotten into you today? Perhaps you’d been pushed into too many walls by too many men. Maybe the lack of romantic interest in anyone on your part had finally caught up, sending you into overload. Finally, you decided to follow his lead and be brave.   
“Dane,” You swallowed, “I’m not saying there’s no hope.” You took a step closer to him, tilting your head up to look him in the eyes. “I just have a job to do right now. But this won’t be forever.” You stood up on your toes and drew his face down to yours, kissing him softly on his lips. The smile on his face when you pulled away was infectious.  
“I’ve waited this long, I think I can wait a little longer.” You brushed his forearm with the gentlest of fingertips, leading him out of the room and walking at his side to the ship to see him off. 

It had been a little sad to see the ship leave while you stood off to the side with General Hux and your stormtroopers, but at least Kylo Ren wasn’t present. In fact, you didn’t see him for the rest of the evening. You half expected him to be waiting in your bedroom after dinner, but your room was empty. You stripped from the black fabric of your robes and tossed them into the corner of the room, turning on the tap of the bath and letting the steam blur the mirror. You slipped in the water, deep enough to cover up to your neck. You closed your eyes, leaning your head back against the cool black porcelain. Buried deep in the hot water, alone, that heat in your core returned with force. Images straight from your darkest fantasies danced in your head. Black leather gloves wrapped around your throat, another at your waist, dipping lower and lower until they brushed your clit. Kylo Ren’s hard length pressed against you in the front, and another warm, bare body up against your back. Dane turned your face back to face him and kissed you, your lips moving in sync, Your hands were working over your clit in the water, the other pulling at a nipple, though in your head that was Ren’s teeth. Dane entered you from behind, Ren’s glove was gone, his bare hand bringing yours down to stroke the growing bulge in his black pants. You couldn’t help yourself, you succumbed to the building orgasm, submerging your mouth under the water to mask the moan that slipped out of your lips. Your fantasy shifted beneath the water, Ren’s bare hand around your neck, holding you under the water, long enough for you to feel the discomfort of the lack of oxygen. He pulled you up by your throat, you took in a gasp of air, only to be shoved back under. You came up again, wet hair falling over your eyes and mouth, legs trembling slightly from your climax. Through your hair, you swore there was a dark figure standing in the doorway of the bathroom. You gasped and pushed your hair out of the way, scrambling to wipe the water from your burning eyes. The doorway was empty.


	4. I Want to Hear You Squeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diving headlong into your new job as spy *ahem* "liaison" to the First Order, you set out to overhear some conversations you weren't supposed to. First lesson of your new job: every action has consequences... especially when that action is seeking Kylo Ren out and accusing him of murder...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all ain't ready for this one... I wasn't and I wrote it ;)
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5d4SJv2d6M
> 
> you'll know when to press play on the song
> 
> **update! I finally figured out how to make it readable!!!!!! the big giant blocks of text were driving me insane. one day I'll go back and fix the first 3 chapters lmao**

Your stormtroopers accompanied you to breakfast the following morning, your eyes downcast and slightly ashamed. If Kylo Ren was there, you weren’t sure you’d be able to hide your blush. You mentally slapped yourself, straightening your shoulders and looking on to where Hux was sitting with several members of the council. This was not you. You were not some blushing, giggling girl who let men dictate her emotions. You grabbed a plate of bacon and eggs and sat down at the table across from Hux, who did little to acknowledge your presence beyond a slight nod. Kylo Ren was not in the room. You knew that he had the infamous ability to break into minds and read the thoughts there. Who was to say that he also couldn’t plant things? That all of these strange desires weren’t the work of an evil man trying to manipulate you? The bite of eggs and strip of bacon you’d just eaten turned into lead in your stomach. Kylo Ren would not get away with this. You would not let him continue planting these false feelings in your head. You dumped the rest of your food in the garbage and stormed off toward your bedroom. You had some planning to do. 

The first thing a smart spy would do, you decided, was to make sure that you weren’t also being spied on. You spent most of the day searching your room and the attached bathroom for anything that looked suspicious. You crawled on your hands and knees, looking under furniture, and even climbed on top of the dresser, praying that it was heavy enough not to fall forward and crush you. After nearly an hour, you hadn’t found anything. Was it really possible that your room hadn’t been bugged? Did they trust your stormtrooper guard that much? Or was it that they assumed Kylo Ren could keep mental tabs on you? You shook your head, feeling a little silly, and began knocking on the walls, ensuring that nothing sounded - there, on the middle panel of the room, it sounded hollow. You knocked again, pressing your ear to it. Hollow. You pressed on the panel with the palm of your hand, hearing some sort of internal mechanism click, and the panel slid out, opening into another of the ship’s endless narrow hallways. You grabbed one of your daggers, twirling it in your hand before shoving it into the holster on your thigh and entering the hall. You supposed it was a stroke of luck that it was empty, though the deeper down you ventured the more a feeling of dread crept into your throat. It was several minutes before you came across another room, two of them, in fact. One was large and grand, the other more simple, almost imperceptible from the panels in the wall had it not had a red control panel next to it. You went to the larger door, standing in front of it hoping it would open for you, but to no avail. Footsteps and muffled voices sounded distantly, but began to get closer. You looked for a control panel to open the large door, but shook your head and rushed to the smaller one, slipping inside. It shut behind you just in time for the arguing voices to round the corner. You pressed your ear against the door and strained to listen, nearly gasping as you heard the voice of Hux.  


“You don’t think it wise to use our position for at least a few senate meetings before we attack?” Hux was saying. 

“There is something I am looking for, and Endor is where I’m starting. I’ll take the part of our army that we’re keeping in secret and kill anyone there who gets in my way.” That was Kylo Ren’s deep, mechanical drawl. You’d know it anywhere now.  


“But what is it that you’re looking for?” You could nearly see the vein in Hux’s forehead protruding with frustration.  


“I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, it’s none of your business. You’d be smart to stop asking questions about things you don’t understand.”  


“And you’d be smart to confide in me, Ren, we’re working toward the same goal here.” You could just hear small sounds of Hux gasping for air as Ren held him with the force.  


“I confide only in the Supreme Leader, Hux,”  


“If this ruins our plans, Ren, I won’t be able to clean up your mess this time.” Hux’s voice sounded strained. Ren only chuckled.  


“This will work out exactly as planned.” The hissing sound of the large doors across the hallway sounded, the sound of heavy footsteps, then silence for a moment, before another set of footsteps sounded, back toward the direction they had come. You stayed behind the door for several heartbeats, listening, in case anyone came back. When you were satisfied everyone was gone, you finally took a moment to look at your surroundings. The room was dim, but completely devoid of furniture, save for a contraption in the middle that looked suspiciously like a torture device. It was something to hold someone down, with loops for the hands and feet, a console on the wall to the left to control it. You shivered at the thought of being strapped down there, completely at Kylo Ren’s mercy. You pressed your ear to the door again for several minutes, before having the courage to open up the door and peek out around each corner. You breathed a sigh of relief to find the hallway empty. You took off at a run, careful to keep your tread as soft as possible on the shiny black floors, finally arriving back at the open panel that lead to your room, rushing inside and sliding it closed behind you. You took just a moment to catch your breath, then grabbed your communicator from your bag, dimming the lights and paging out a message to the Resistance. It took a few minutes, but a little blue figure of General Organa popped up on the slate gray mini-disc of metal in your hand.  


“General,” You were speaking before she could even give you a greeting. “I have news.”  


“What is it?” Something in your stomach twisted as a second figure appeared next to her, Dane.  


“Kylo Ren is looking for something and he’s going to raid Endor. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know when he’s going, but he said he’d kill whoever got in his way.”  


“This is serious, are you sure you heard correctly?” Dane said, looking at you with those intense eyes.  


“Yes, I’m sure, Dane. The question is only when he will go.”  


“We’ll mobilize a team and prepare to send them to Endor straight away.” The General looked darkly at someone off camera, then shook her head and turned back to you. “It seems that honoring our alliance is even less important to the First Order than I originally thought.” Dane rolled his eyes and strolled off out of the hologram. “I never had much faith in them to begin with, but to break it just days after it was created?” She sighed, lips pressed tightly together.  


“General, if you have some time, I do have a few quest-“ You heard some commotion on the other side of the call.  


“I’m sorry, I’ve got to take care of this. I’m very grateful for your intelligence. We can speak more at the next senate meeting, they’ve called for a session at the beginning of next week to welcome our new senator.” She had disappeared before you could get in so much as a farewell. You sighed, tossing your communicator on the bed. 

The very next morning, Kylo Ren was not present at the council meeting you had been summoned to attend. You shifted uncomfortably in your seat as Hux discussed talking points for his first senate attendance as senator for the First Order, drawling on and on about improvements that could be made in the galaxy with a republic united with the ideals of the First Order. You honestly would have been bored to tears had it not been for the absence of a certain commander. As the meeting adjourned, you attempted to look nonchalant as you approached Hux, leaning up against the table with your hip.  
“I’m surprised Commander Ren could resist butting in with his opinions on what you should say at the First Order’s first appearance at the senate meeting.” Hux surprised you by wrinkling his nose in distaste, making his features look even more pinched than usual.  
“Ren has no business deciding what is to be said at the senate meeting. If he had his way, he’d just kill his way to the top.” Hux’s eyes swam over you. “You two are alike in that way, I think.” You internally shrugged, he wasn’t wrong.  
“Where is he, if not attending important First Order council meetings?” You hoped he wouldn’t pick up on the nervous strain in your tone.  
“Why? Hoping for some history lessons?” A genuine chuckle came out of your mouth before you had a chance to hold it in. Was that… a joke from General Stick-Up-His-Ass Hux?  
“Very funny.” You paused for a moment, pondering an excuse to get a true answer out of him. “I just have a few questions for him.” And that was the best you could come up with? You mentally slapped yourself.  
“I’m afraid Commander Ren will be indisposed for a few days. He had an errand to run for the First Order. He should be back before we leave for the senate meeting.” Your blood ran cold. So soon, too soon; would the resistance be able to dispatch a team to Endor in time? “Are there any questions I can answer for you in the meantime?”  
“No,” You spun around, trying not to run as you went to report to General Organa that Kylo Ren had in fact already left the Finalizer. 

General Organa had seemed only slightly flustered, leaving the report call rather abruptly to rush the mobilization of their forces to deploy to the forest moon. You wondered if Dane would be going with them, perhaps even leading a battalion of soldiers out into the forest, camping out and looking out for Kylo Ren and his men. You waited for news for several days, the hours stretching in the absence of both Kylo Ren and a call from General Organa. You barely left your room, insisting on most of your meals delivered to you, unable to bring your communicator with you out of these four walls. It had been nearly 3 days when your device finally lit up; you’d been drifting in and out of sleep over the past several hours, always startling yourself awake to the same explicit dreams of Kylo Ren. A little hot under the collar, you positioned the disc flat on the bed in front of you, smoothing down your bed-head as a grave-faced General Organa appeared before you.  


“General, what happened?”  


“There was no trace of any First Order presence on Endor.”  


“What?” Your face burned with shame, but by the look on her face, that wasn’t all.  


“One of our teams came across some sort of explosive. We lost eight of our best and brightest, 2 survived, but are pretty severely injured.”  


“General, I-“ Heat rushed into the rest of your body, embarrassed tears pricking at your eyes.  


“This cannot happen again.” You dug your nails into the palm of your hand to keep yourself from throwing the communicator across the room in frustration.  


“I swear, General, I told you exactly what Ren said, what I overheard, I know I heard quite clearly!” She sighed, rubbing her temples with her middle finger and thumb.  


“I’m sure you did. He likely knew you’d be listening. I’m almost sure this was a test to see if I planted you as a spy. I’m more disappointed in myself for not realizing that before I sent the troops.” Your hands shook with rage.  


“He planted the bomb too, I’m sure of it.”  


“I have the same feeling, but there’s no proof. It’s even more imperative now that you gain General Hux’s trust. Lay low for awhile, it’s likely Ren will set more traps for you.”  


“I’m sorry, General.” You tried to steady your breathing, but failed. “Was… Dane a part of the mission?”  


“Dane was leading the group that was targeted.” Your heart dropped into your toes. “He lived, but is badly burned. We have the best medic droids working with him.”  


“Please keep me updated on his condition.” Your voice was barely a strangled whisper. The General nodded, her image blinking out of existence. You very nearly did throw your communicator across the room, but settled for chucking one of your pillows into the bathroom. Blinded by white-hot anger, you let the secret panel slide to the side, not bothering to be sly as you flew down the hallway. You were at the entrance to the large door Ren had disappeared behind the other night before you knew it. To your surprise, the doors opened as soon as you stepped in front of them, ready to break them down if you had to. You stepped in cautiously, realizing with a start that in your blind rage, you’d left your blaster in your room. You had your small dagger strapped to your thigh, and you pulled it from its holster and held it in front of you. The room was not large, more of an antechamber than anything else. It was mostly empty, save for a large desk and high-backed leather chair. There were two doors leading off the antechamber, one to the east, the other the west. You wandered toward the western door, nearly jumping out of your skin when a deep, mechanical voice cut through the silence.  


“More spying?”  


“You,” You rushed him catching him off guard as you both toppled to the floor, straddling his hips as you wrapped a hand around his neck, pressing down with as much force as you could muster on his windpipe. “You’re a murderer!” He circled your wrists with his hands, pulling them away from his neck with relative ease. You weren’t sure exactly how it happened, but your dagger clammered to the floor as his leg hooked over yours, flipping you onto the floor and pinning your hands over your head.  


“And who exactly did I murder?:  


“You planted a bomb on Endor, you killed eight people!” You struggled beneath him, but it was no use, you were stuck.  


“Prove it.” You squirmed, realizing for the first time that you’d come out of your room wearing only your night clothes; a tight tank top with no bra and loose fitting black shorts. The Kylo Ren from your darkest nightmares flooded into your mind, rough, menacing, hot.  


“Get. Out. Of. My. Head.” You growled through gritted teeth, His head cocked to one side.  


“I’m not in your head. I told you, my power doesn’t work on you.”  


“That’s a lie! I know you’re planting these thoughts, the dreams I’ve been having!”  


“And what kind of thoughts are those?” You could nearly hear the predatory grin in his voice. “What do I do to you in those dreams?” He pushed his hips down into yours for emphasis and you bit the inside of your cheek to keep from making a sound. You took a breath, then spit straight up on his helmet. He held both your wrists with one hand, bringing the other up to wipe the black metal clean.  


“There are a lot of better ways to use that mouth.” His thumb was suddenly tracing your bottom lip, pulling it down and attempting to enter your mouth. You clamped your teeth shut, turning your head to the side so quickly your bones cracked. You bucked your hips, trying to use your legs to free your body from beneath him.  


“So eager,” He purred, laughing as you continued to struggle to get out. He brought a hand to your chest and pinched your nipple, already erect and betraying you. You stopped moving, glaring at him. If he thought that your anger was amusing, you’d have to change tactics.  


“You want to know what I’m thinking?” A tight squeeze to your wrists was his only reply. “I think you are a coward. I think you hide behind the mask, the arrogance, the angry outbursts. I think under all that, you’re just a scared little boy.” You smiled as his hand immediately came to your throat. “Does poor little baby Kylo Ren have some mommy issues?” You’d put on your best baby-talk voice, and he delivered, gripping your jaw with so much force that you were sure it would leave a mark; More bruises at his hands.  


“You must like to hear yourself talk.” He loomed over you now. “I want to hear you squeal.” His hand came off of your face and travelled down your body, caressing the waistband of your shorts. Your body was throbbing, heat rushing from your face to between your legs.  


“Don’t.” Your breath came in gasps, every pulse of your heart an electric shock through your veins.  


“You’ve always told me exactly what you think, I don’t think we should start lying to each other now.” With that, two of his gloved fingers plunged into your mouth, some sort of filthy reflex had you sucking them in, further, deeper inside. His mechanical chuckle made the heat of shame spread over your face. But it was soon overtaken by another sort of heat, an explosion of lust as his hands delved beneath your pants, warm, rough, and slick with your own saliva as they did a slow, lazy circle of your clit. You couldn’t help it, maybe it damned you forever for letting all thoughts slide out of your brain, the reason you were here in the first place, but you let out a breathy moan of pleasure. Encouraged, his fingers explored, the sensation of the slick leather just outside your slit making your legs inch involuntarily apart. You arched up as his middle and ring fingers plunged inside, curling up to instantly hit the spot. His fingers filled you up, you shivered to think how large other parts would feel inside you.  


“So wet for me,” He growled from inside that damn helmet. You could feel his gaze intense on your face, whimpering as his fingers slammed into your g-spot over and over. You tightened around his fingers, body begging for a brush of his fingers over your clit; you were sure if he did you’d topple over the edge of orgasm. You nearly screamed in frustration as he withdrew his hand, holding it up to the light above you. It shined with clear evidence of your desire for him. You felt your stomach flip with disgust at yourself for yielding so easily to him.  


“So quickly you become my little slut,” He caressed your face, feeling your wetness on your cheek, then he put his two fingers into your mouth. “Almost no effort on my part.” You realized that he’d long ago let go of your wrists, and you shoved him off of you, both standing. You stared up at him, shaking, though with rage or leftover pleasure you weren’t sure.  


“You’ll pay for what you did to my comrades.”  


“Get back to your own room before I alert the council that the General has sent you to spy on us.” You glared into your own reflection in his helmet before turning on your heel and storming back up the hallway to your room. You slipped back inside and closed the panel behind you, angry tears already making their way down your cheeks. A furious cry ripped its way from your chest, your fist ramming into the metal panels over and over again until your knuckles were bloody and the panel was dented. The doors to your room slid open and one of your stormtrooper guards stood, a hand on their blaster, hesitating in the doorway. They reached up and pulled off their helmet, revealing… a girl, concern apparent on her soft features. Barely older than you, brown hair smoothed back in a low bun, similar to your own hairstyle in uniform. But as intrigued as you were by another female soldier, regardless of her allegiance, your anger was far too overwhelming.  


“Get. Out.” You snarled at her, cradling your swollen, trembling fist in your uninjured hand.  


“But-” You rushed toward her, yelling incoherently until she backed out, the doors sliding shut behind her. You collapsed to the floor, sobbing until the sweet darkness of sleep took you for her own.


	5. Hosnian Prime’s Most Eligible Bachelorette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’ve got your wits about you again after a very questionable encounter with the one and only Kylo Ren, and it’s time for your first New Republic Senate meeting with the First Order’s brand new senator, General Hux. Does the red-headed General have more to him than meets the eye? A treacherous journey across the stars may leave you with more questions than you came with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does 3:30 am on Wednesday morning still count as Tuesday? ;) Sorry, y’all, I work overnight shifts at my job! 
> 
> Can you tell that I like a good ol’ fashioned love triangle? Er- square? OPTIONS, people. OPTIONS. I hope y’all love this chapter as much as I do! I’m really enjoying writing this so far.

You allowed yourself to sulk for an entire day. Tears were shed, mirrors were avoided, though you felt the dull soreness of a bruise on your chin. With every passing moment, the rage within you grew until it reached such a great height that it turned into predatory stillness. It was then that you decided there was only one option; you had to kill Kylo Ren. Not outright, not right away… you’d play the game, wait for the right moment. But you’d be the one to do it. You covered the purple bruise on your chin and jaw and put on your most official looking black leather pants with a matching shirt, the attached cape trailing behind you. You braided your hair into a crown over the top of your head. As you stared at your reflection, you smiled darkly. The First Order had no idea what was coming for them. Your hand throbbing at your side, the knuckles swollen and scabbed over with dried blood. You flexed your fingers, wincing at the pain, and pulled on a pair of black elbow length gloves. Though your stomach growled in protest, you skipped stopping in the dining hall to grab a quick breakfast, and instead headed straight to the council meeting room, your duo of stormtrooper guards nearly jogging to keep up behind you. General Hux was chatting with one of the other council members when you entered, all of the air in the room seeming to thin.

“Good morning, boys.” You crooned, seating yourself at the head of the table, in Kylo Ren’s unofficial empty seat. Hux turned to face you, taking you in, all of you, slowly and deliberately. It was the kind of look that you expected from Ren, not him. Perhaps you’d underestimated the red-headed General, perhaps his submission to Kylo Ren was more strategy than weakness.  
“I don’t remember inviting you to this particular session of council.” You examined the back of your gloves as he spoke, finally deigning to flick your gaze in his direction.

“I have a matter to discuss with you.”

“With me?” Hux’s eyes flitted around the room to the men watching him, everyone seeming to hold their breath. You nearly chuckled; feeling your ego purr in your chest. They were all afraid of you. “Or with the council?” You hesitated for just half a second. You hadn’t planned on sending everyone away, but perhaps this was a better card to play.

“Just you, General Hux.” He looked taken aback for a moment, before nodding to the other council members. They whispered among each other, but nonetheless filed out, shutting the door behind them. Hux clasped his hands behind his back, standing before you.

“If this is about Kylo Ren, he assured me he will be on his best behavior.” You caught yourself just before you rolled your eyes, your heart accelerating at the memory of being pinned beneath him, his hands on you. “If he has-” You held up a hand to silence him.

“You know what this is about, General.” You didn’t miss his tiny nervous fidget, just a simple shifting of his weight from one foot to another, but it was a tell. “Eight of my men are dead.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Tell me what happened.” You challenged, eyes narrowing.

“Are you accusing the First Order of foul play? Your newfound ally?”

“Please,” You stood from your chair, crossing your arms over your chest and pacing the length of the room. “You think I’d believe it’s some magic coincidence that Commander Ren leaves on some secret errand for the First Order and eight of my men are blown to bits just before his return?”

“I don’t see why the two should be related.” Hux answered, leaning against the table behind him. “Perhaps your men should receive more training on recognizing explosives.” You whirled on him, just barely stopping yourself from pulling out your blade to hold to his throat.

“Careful, Hux.” You were so close to him that you could feel his cool breath hitting your skin. Just a few centimeters more and your bodies would be touching. He leaned back, away from you, but never broke eye contact. “Don’t forget that I’m coming with you to the senate meeting. I’d hate for you to make enemies before you even make your first appearance.” He stood up to full height, forcing you to crane your neck to keep your gaze on him, almost losing your footing as you stumbled back.

“You are my guest, but my hospitality only goes so far.” You smirked at him, wondering wickedly how far you could push him before he actually followed through on his threats, but that was a challenge for another day. A hiss of the door mechanism and the heavy footfall of boots over the marble floors had you backing away to a respectable distance from the General before sliding your eyes over to the intruder. Kylo Ren stood a few paces away, his presence seeming to fill up the entire room. You could feel his stare penetrating through his mask, his fist clenched at his side.

“Yes, Commander?” You looked back at Hux for a moment, who had backed further away from you. “You’re interrupting an important discussion.”

“Am I?”

“Commander Ren, I told you that we would speak before I left for Hosnian Prime this afternoon. I did not forget.” You balked; you hadn’t realized that you were leaving for the senate meeting today.

“I’m not here for you, Hux.” He said your name like a caress up your spine and it stoked the burning embers of rage in your chest. “I’d like a word in private.” You saw Hux glancing between you in the corner of your eye.

“No.” You stalked toward him, purposefully hitting him with your shoulder as you passed. “I have some last minute preparations to attend to for my trip this afternoon.” When you reached the doorway, you turned back. “And if you find your way into my room again, I won’t hesitate to slit your throat.” You saw Hux grin, suppressing a laugh as you swept out of the room, not bothering to look back as the sounds of choking and a large crash followed you down the hall.

You took your time getting packed, grabbing some lunch, and speaking very briefly with General Organa over the communicator about where to meet her when you arrived. She was already there, as usual, always prepared and early. A knock sounded at your door, revealing Hux himself standing outside, hands clasped behind his back.

“I’ve come to collect you for our journey to Hosnian Prime.” You’d been lying on the bed and slid off to stand.

“And what an honor it is to be personally escorted by the great General Hux.” You smirked, grabbing your packed bag and following him to the main hangar, where your ship was being prepared. At least a hundred stormtroopers were bustling around, loading things into the ship. One of them stopped in front of you, holding out their hand for your bag. You passed it off without a word of thanks, walking up the ramp with Hux at your side. He sat down on one of the black leather couches in the main cabin of the ship, spreading his long arm over the top cushion. You took your seat opposite him, turning around to look out the window. You almost gasped when you spotted him, lurking at the back of the hangar. Though you couldn’t see Ren’s eyes, you knew he was looking at you. As soon as you heard the hiss of the ramp to the ship rising to close, you let a very sweet smile come over your lips, then held up your middle finger in a vulgar gesture that had Kylo Ren clenching his fists, turning on his heel with a dramatic sweep of his cape to storm out. You smirked to yourself, turning back to find Hux staring intently at you.

“Can I help you?” His lips turned up just barely into a small smile while he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“You are…” He trailed off, looking up at the ceiling of the ship. “You know how to get under his skin.”

“Someone has to. Everyone here is so terrified of him that he walks around like an unchecked dictator.”

“Hmm,” He picked invisible lint off of his jacket as the ship warmed up, jerking to rise from the ground.

“Though I don’t think you’re as afraid of him as he thinks you are.” His sharp eyes snapped back to yours, folding his hands in his lap and thinking for a long moment.

“Ren likes to walk around like he’s in charge. It’s very easy to keep letting him believe the illusion.” You were suddenly questioning Hux’s motives, whether Kylo Ren was really the big bad of the First Order.

“But why let him at all? Why give him the satisfaction?” Hux smiled, a soft smile, one that reached his eyes and made him appear quite gentle, but you didn’t trust the mischievous glint in them.

“Staying under the radar is easier when someone doesn’t believe you to be a threat.” You rose from your seat and strolled to the window to look out at the stars, flying by in bright lines of white.

“I can’t tell if you’re threatening me or giving me advice.” You heard him loose a small snort of air through his nose.

“I don’t believe it’s possible for you to be under anyone’s radar.” You made your way back toward the couch, Hux’s back to you, and dipped your head to speak right in his ear.

“Now I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or insulting me.” You swept away down the hallway of the ship toward the private rooms before he could respond.

It was about three hours later when the ship slowed out of hyperspace and the large planet came into view, the darkness in contrast with the white lights glowing brightly even from this distance. You rejoined Hux as the ship entered through the atmosphere, white, fluffy clouds giving way to tiny buildings and twinkling lights growing larger with each passing second. He was still seated on the couch, writing away on the sleek white pages of a journal. You didn’t interrupt him, just simply stood at the large paneled glass window, a little breathless at the beauty of the city. It was dusk here, the sky an inky black and peppered with stars, but on the edges of the skyline you could make out the faint purples, pinks, and oranges of a sunset past. As the city grew closer, you felt Hux come to stand beside you, looking out as the buildings around you dwarfed the ship.

“Shall I call you General or Senator?” You joked, sneaking a glance over at him. He was staring out at the capitol building in awe.

“Armitage will do.” He glanced over at you, the right corner of his lip tugging upward. The ship landed smoothly on the landing pad and the ramp began to lower down to let you out. A crew of 8 stormtroopers rounded the corner into the main room, apparently your bodyguards for the trip. As the ramp hit the ground you noticed General Organa already waiting for you at the bottom. You and Hux walked side by side down the ramp, both coming to a halt in front of the General. She looked exhausted; dark circles beneath her eyes, her face just not holding its normal vigor. You felt a pang in your chest at the notion that it was most likely your fault.

“Wonderful to see you again,” She nodded at you, then turned to Hux. “I’ve been looking forward to making your acquaintance, General Hux.”

“Likewise,” Hux smiled as they shook hands.

“I hope you won’t mind if I steal our liaison away for awhile?” Your stomach twisted with the thought of the conversation to come. You wondered for a moment how it would look if you insisted to stay with Hux, but you’d just be prolonging the inevitable. You were a great many things, but weak wasn’t one of them.

“Of course, I’m sure you have many things to discuss,” He shifted to face the General, the concern on his face so genuine that you almost believed it to be real. “I heard about the recent loss to your ranks. I was very sorry to hear about that.” General Organa narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips together in a thin line. You held your breath, the only thing holding you back from pummeling Hux upside the head being her presence.

“I’m sure.” She tore her glare away from Hux and settled it on you, nodding her head for you to follow. You swallowed, setting off across the bridge and into the capitol building.

The building itself was as beautiful and impressive on the inside as it was the outside. White marbled floors spanned the long hallways, walls reaching so high that you could barely make out where they ended. Grand golden chandeliers glowing with flickering candlelight hung gracefully from the ceiling. Your eyes glazed over at the plaques adorning the walls from millennia of Senators past, the art on the wall depicting achievements and downfalls, war and peace, even a few Jedi made immortal through oil on canvas. You would have walked right past the room General Organa had gone into, still taking everything in, had she not grabbed your arm and pulled you inside, closing the door behind you. The room was simple, an unused office space, devoid of everything except a smooth black desk and two matching chairs. General Organa took a seat and motioned for you to do the same.

“How is Dane?” You asked quietly, looking down at the floor with great disdain.

“Remarkably well, actually. He insisted on coming for the meeting and no one could talk him out of it.” She smiled and shook her head at his stubbornness. “He is staying here with us and a number of medic droids. He mentioned hoping to see you only about a hundred times.”

“He’s here?” Images from that long-ago fantasy in the bathtub reared in your mind, your face flushing with guilt.

“Yes, I’ll take you to him before the cocktail party tonight. They were redressing his wounds an hour ago and he’ll need to sleep for awhile after that. Very painful business, being burned like that.” Your gut clenched at the pain you’d caused. All your fault, all of this was on you. “

“I’m so sorry, General. I never imagined-“ She held up a hand to cut you off, a little warmth returning to her dark eyes.

“I’m taking full responsibility for this one. I asked you to spy and you reported information back that you’d overheard. I should have known better, been more cautious.”

“How can I be more careful?” You scooted to the end of your seat, leaning in with eyes wide. “How can I tell the truth from the lies?”

“You can’t.” She was lost inside of her mind for several heartbeats, a host of feelings flashing in her eyes before they finally settled back on you. “From now and on, everything is a lie until proven otherwise. You report to me everything you hear, and I’ll have a network of informants throughout the galaxy, ready to get the information we need.” She got up to leave, but you stayed in your chair, breathing heavily with a little relief. You’d expected yelling, degrading, informing you that if you were too stupid to do the job than you would be easily replaced… but the General was not your father. No, she’d proven that.

“General, before you go, there’s something I have to ask you.” She paused in the doorway, turning back around to face you. “I-“ You took a deep breath, trying to phrase your words in a way that would make sense. “Kylo Ren has told me some things. He’s tried to use the Force on me but it won’t work. He says he can’t access my mind.” Her head dropped to the side, a puzzled expression coming over her. “I want to know if he’s lying, if he’s still getting in my head.” She closed her eyes, scrunching her nose in concentration while you looked on, waiting to feel something, any sensation coming over you, physical or mental. There was nothing. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked concerned.

“I’m afraid Ren is right.” She was looking at you differently now, like something you were an enigma to unravel. “It’s like you’re a brick wall. It’s impenetrable. Very curious.” You took a sharp inhale, something like dread settling over you.

“What does it mean?” You whispered, a bone-deep chill peppering goosebumps over your skin.

“I’m afraid I don’t know.” She tapped her chin with her index finger, eyebrows knitting together. “Well, there’s nothing to be done about it now. I will have to do some research into your family’s history. I promise I will let you know if I find anything.”

“Thank you, General Organa.” She smiled, keeping her lips closed and inclining her head.

“I think I’d like to be on a first name basis with one of my most trusted spies.” She winked, leading you out of the room and to an elevator where you rode up, up, and up until you hit a floor far above the city.

The room Leia left you to was lavish to say the least. Everything seemed to be wrapped in lush velvet or satin and encrusted with gold. The four-poster bed was draped with wine-colored, sheer curtains, the velvet comforter soft and inviting. Your bag had already made its way here, probably the work of one of the stormtroopers that had accompanied you here. Two of them were stationed outside your door, much to Leia’s dismay. She’d told you that she’d left you a dress, but she didn’t say anything about the two attendants that knocked softly at your door, drew you a bath, scrubbed you, plucked, prodded, and attacked you with various heated irons until you didn’t recognize the person that stared back at you. They’d asked no questions when they covered the bruise on your chin, rubbing some sort of salve on your swollen hand that almost immediately eased the pain and returned it to its normal size. They stood back in the corner after they helped you slide on the burgundy gown, fitted at the waist before flaring all the way to sweep the floor. It ruched slightly to accentuate your chest, before flowing down over one shoulder in a long, sweeping sleeve that fell to the hem. They did not adorn you with jewels, but pinned a sparkling circlet around your head, the symbol of the First Order dipping over your hairline to rest on your forehead. You waited until the attendants had slipped out of the room to rip it off your head, nearly ruining the hairstyle they’d worked so hard on. You took one last look in the mirror as another, firmer knock sounded on the door. You’d never considered yourself to be beautiful until this moment. Your hair was never down, cascading over your shoulders in such perfect waves, your eyes decorated with sleek black lines, cheekbones sharp as a knife, your lips so red they were nearly painted with blood. It was an interesting feeling that rose inside of you, like you couldn’t look at yourself for too long, like you were an imposter, a failure playing dress up. Nevertheless, you answered the door, Leia looking you over with eyebrows raised.

“Wow,” Was all she said; you huffed and walked out, bracing your core and using all your concentration to balance in the death traps of shoes they’d put you in. Leia’s graying hair was piled on the top of her head, a simple off-white rose-patterned gown that shimmered when she walked, it’s matching cape covering her shoulders and collarbones and draping in a short train behind her.

“You didn’t warn me that this event would require me to look so feminine.” Your feet were already starting to ache.

“I didn’t realize you had it in you.” She laughed, leading you further down the hallway, white doors with keypads lining every 10 feet or so.

“Well, the attendants you sent certainly got their payment’s worth.” She stopped before one of the white doors and pressed her thumb to the keypad, the doors lock mechanism releasing with a hiss.

“I didn’t send you any attendants.” The doors slid open, and there was Dane, sitting up with a grimace from the large bed in the center of the room. A medic droid was giving an update to Leia, but you couldn’t hear it. All you could see was the white bandages, tinted a yellow-ish pink with leakage from his burns, wrapping all the way around his left arm and disappearing below the blanket. You felt your chest tighten, the air in your throat thin, knowing that it was your fault. You strode slowly toward the bed, Dane smiling softly as you approached. He winced as you sat down on the bed next to him, his dark skin lacking its normal luminosity. Your fault, your fault, your fault.

“I almost don’t recognize you,” He brought his bandaged hand to tug on the silky red fabric of the skirt of your dress.

“You’re one to talk,” You retorted, putting your hand on the bed to face him more fully. He caught your hand with his, tape scratching against the back of your fingers. You swallowed back a sob, turning your face away from him to hide the tears that threatened to spill over.

“I’m sorry,” You whispered, trying to pull away, but he sat further up, using his uninjured hand to tug you back. A faint sound of the door opening and closing behind you sounded as Leia made her exit. Your chin quivered uncontrollably, a tear falling down onto the bedspread. Anger welled in you, your fault, true weakness. Dane reached up to tilt your chin to look at him.

“You didn’t know,” He brushed a thumb over your cheek, catching another tear. “Never forget who you’re working with. Never forget what he’s capable of.” You burned with some mixture of fury and shame, the memory of Ren’s leather gloves between your thighs a ghost over your skin.

“I’m going to kill him.” You promised, your entire body trembling.

“Hey, hey,” He pulled you in, turning slightly so you didn’t touch his bandages. “I’ll help you,” He whispered, pressing a soft kiss just below your ear. He cleared his throat, leaning back against his pillows. “Well, you should get to the cocktail party, wouldn’t want to miss a bunch of stuffy senators talk about themselves.” You sniffed, dabbing at the foreign feeling of makeup on your face and came to stand.

“Wish me luck,” You said, smirking at him, the teasing banter bringing you back to reality.

“You don’t need it,” He raked his gaze over you, brown eyes sparkling with the first light you’d seen since you walked in. “But they do.”


	6. Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are thrust into the world of politics at the Senate meeting, though this one doesn't go quite as planned. Will anything go as planned with you around?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is so. much. star wars lore! Literally! I had about 14 tabs open while writing this chapter on wookiepedia just reading about the New Republic senate. Of course, I'm taking a lot of liberties for my story, but still, there's so much information available. Blew my mind a little!
> 
> Thank y'all so much for all the kudos and to those who have left comments! It really means the world to me! I have a lot of really fun plans for this story :)

If Leia knew of the tension building between you and Dane, she said nothing when you came out of the room. You entered the elevator down the hall, sneaking a glance at your reflection in the chrome siding, noting that the humiliating tears you’d shed had not ruined your appearance.

“Am I to stay with Hux a majority of this trip?” You wondered aloud as the elevator zoomed down smoothly from the 86th floor to the 2nd.

“Yes,” You turned to the back of the elevator as she spoke, a window looking out on the lights of the city. It looked so alive, pulsing with activity. “I have a feeling he will be using this to feel out any senators sympathetic to the First Order’s cause.”  
“Do you want a full report on everyone that he speaks with tonight?” The elevator slowed to a stop, a light, airy bell tone signifying the arrival to the second floor.

“I trust you,” She turned to give you a significant look. “Anything you find to be suspicious.” The doors slid open, revealing a clamor of voices, laughter, and music. A large number of bodies moved about the room, some shaking hands and embracing, others sipping casually at their drinks, watching the commotion. A red-skinned female with cascading white hair and a nearly sheer black netted dress was on stage in the back of the room, crooning out a beautiful song in an unknown language. Leia left you on your own, striding with utter confidence toward a group of men and women who greeted her with boisterous enthusiasm. You looked around for a moment, watching a number of heads turn toward you with blatant interest. You noted the exits, two of them besides the elevator, which in your opinion didn’t count. There was a stairwell in the southeast corner of the room, though the doorway was narrow enough that it would take ages to fit everyone through, and a set of double doors to the west, leading off to the rest of the floor. A waiter walked past you, eyes downcast and holding out a glass of neon blue liquid that seemed to glow in the dim light.

“Courtesy of Senator Ziono.” Your gaze travelled above the platter in the waiter’s hand, meeting the eyes of a tan-skinned man, black hair thinning and skin slightly wrinkled with age who was standing alone and leaning against the bar. He raised his own glass at you, taking a long dreg without ever taking his eyes off yours. You took the drink from the waiter, but turned away from the Senator with your best bored expression. You nearly ran into General Hux, who’d come up behind you, silent in the hubbub of the room. He whistled quietly as he took in your appearance, the hair, the dress, the planes of your face.

“I’m guessing the minions were yours?” You glared up at him, taking a sip of your drink. It bubbled on your tongue, the sweetness of the mixer almost completely cutting out the bite of the alcohol.

“You’re representing the First Order now, I can’t have you looking a mess, can I?” His gaze caught on the top of your head, lingering for just a moment too long.

“I’m not the First Order’s property.” You warned him, a wordless promise that you would never wear their symbol. A tall, thin shape intruded your peripheral vision and caught Hux’s attention. He stiffened, standing straight and reaching out a hand with a small smile playing on his lips.

“Armitage Hux, senator representing the First Order.” The woman, almost as towering as Hux, held out her elegant hand gracefully, expectantly waiting for Hux to kiss it. You took her in suspiciously, radiant golden skin, long black hair, dark eyes sparkling with secrets. There were two men dressed entirely in black at either side, but two steps back, a show that she was in charge. You distrusted her immediately, but Hux looked enamored.

“Carise Sindian, a pleasure,” She withdrew her hand without sparing you a glance. “I knew your father, Armitage. A truly wonderful man.” Hux clenched just jaw and swallowed hard.

“Yes, his loss is mourned among the First Order.” Finally Senator Sindian turned to you.

“Your wife, Armitage?” You couldn’t help it, a cackle of laughter erupted from you.

“I mean, no, definitely not. I am a political liaison between General Organa and the First Order.” The senator’s nose crinkled in disgust.

“Right,” One of the nondescript men flanking her leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Oh, Armitage, you must meet Senator Madmund from Corascant. We are still so disappointed these meetings are no longer held in his homeworld.” You tagged along behind Hux as Sindian pulled on Hux’s sleeve to propel him forward with her. Thus began the long night, Dane’s prediction becoming reality. These senators did little but talk about themselves and after a few hours, you grew so increasingly tired and bored that you couldn’t take it anymore. You had been eyeing the large glass doors to the balcony for the past hour and a half, and eventually you found your moment to slip away. The senator from Hevurion had launched into yet another story about the slimy tactics he’d used to gain power. You strode as best you could, your walk a bit of a limp with your feet aching in the high heels, over to the bar and ordered something strong, taking the glass out to the balcony and leaning forward slightly on the railing. The city quieted since your arrival, the other planets of the Hosnian system glowing next to smaller dots of stars in the sky. You sipped at your drink, the alcohol burning your throat on the way down, ice cubes clinking against the glass. The air was cool but not cold, though a small breeze sent goosebumps over your bare arm. Were you taking on too much? You suddenly wondered if it was worth it to go back to the ship, back to being taunted by Kylo Ren, back to facing the confusing things you felt around him. Were you playing with fire, bound to be burned to a crisp? You took a deep, shaky breath, downing the rest of the alcohol in your glass with one large gulp. The edges of the world were starting to go a little fuzzy. You’d never had more than a glass of wine at a time. Tonight, you’d lost count as you sipped, more out of boredom than necessity.

“I wondered where my liaison had run off to,” Hux came up beside you, switching your empty glass for a full one. You held it, swirling it, but didn’t bring it to your lips.

“How can you stand to listen to them? Using people as pawns, trading money for power…” You scoffed, suddenly longing for the days when your schedule consisted of nothing but battle studies and war training.

“So is the world of politics.” He leaned next to you, his arm brushing yours. “Why do you think the First Order wants change so badly?”

“The foundation of your organization is built on the remnants of dictatorship. Everyone knows the leader of the Empire was a Sith Lord. They destroyed an entire planet full of innocents!”

“We are not our predecessors.” He said sternly, looking out over the city with dark eyes and taking a long dreg from the amber liquid in his glass. “We are fighting for unity, for a galaxy that works together toward a better future.”

“A galaxy where you sit on the throne and rule over it all?” You looked at him then, really looked at him, the starlight reflecting in his eyes. And for a moment you could see it, as though reading his thoughts, the images not your own. He was an emperor, Kylo Ren on his knees at his feet, asking him how he could better lead their armies into battle, to conquer planetary systems not yet discovered. You balked, coming back to the balcony, the cool air turning to lead around you. Hux was standing very still, like no time had passed.

“Come, it has gotten very late and the meeting commences early tomorrow.” You were rooted to the spot for a moment, trying to wrap your mind around how you had seen what had just played through in your mind. It was nothing, it was all of the alcohol getting the best of you. It had to be. So you followed Hux back into the party and let him walk you back to your rooms.

You awoke the next morning with a deep, aching desire in your core. The dreams of Kylo Ren had returned full force and dirtier than ever. You rubbed your eyes, watching scenes of your own nails scratching deep into Ren’s back, his primal growl the perfect mixture of pleasure and pain. Your dream self had ridden him until he’d left more bruises, this time on either of your hips from gripping them so tightly. The version of him you’d created in your mind had taken off the helmet, but you couldn’t recollect his face. You scowled, peeling back the covers of your bed and walking to the window, throwing back the curtains and noting the sun just peeking above the skyline. Your eyes burned with exhaustion in the glow of the dawn; you’d slept barely five hours, but you didn’t have the nerve to crawl back under the covers, lest Ren be back to terrorize you again. You laced up your running shoes, the laces feeling stiff from lack of use in the past weeks. Taking the elevator down, you traversed the empty halls, ignoring the half-asleep staff member at the desk. The streets were quiet, but as your feet pounded away on the concrete, the city began to stir. You noted people walking out onto their balconies, ground ships starting to fly above you as the work day commute began. You ran alongside shops, restaurants, and homes, dodging service droids and people alike. Finally, when you could no longer remember the feeling of Kylo Ren inside you, and your lungs felt like they would explode, you stopped, bending down with your hands on your knees to take a breather. You looked around, finding yourself in an empty alley between a bakery and a closed repair shop. Your stomach rumbled at the smell of baking bread filling the air, but you hadn’t brought any money with you. The hair on the back of your neck stood as you felt the presence of someone approaching at your back. You waited just a moment, then turned and slammed them against the brick wall of the bakery, your forearm and elbow pressing into the hard bone of a sternum.

“Hux?” You held him against the wall as he groaned from the knock of his head against the bricks. “What are you doing? Why are you following me?”

“You’re,” He was breathing heavily, like he’d been running after you. “Fast,” He huffed, straightening as you slackened your hold on him.

“I wasn’t aware I had a running partner, I usually slow down for the weak and less gifted.” You grinned at his scowl.

“I saw you sneaking out of the building at dawn alone,” He shrugged, falling into step with you as you began jogging back toward the capitol building. It was a little later than you’d intended on getting back, and now you had to take a bath before getting ready for the meeting.

“I wasn’t aware that I was a prisoner under surveillance.” You challenged, picking up your pace. You noted with smug satisfaction that he lagged behind you for the rest of your run, slowing to a walk as you neared the capitol building. You pushed a few wet strands of hair back from your sweat-soaked forehead and reluctantly waited for him to catch up before walking inside.

“Never sneak up on me like that again.” You warned, giving Hux a pointed look, dragging your eyes up and down his thin frame. “But maybe you should join in on some training. You’re pretty slow for a general.” You let the elevator doors shut before he could join you inside, smirking and waving your fingers at him.

You were ready for the meeting just in time, though you wouldn’t have been without the help of Hux’s attendants. You adjusted the stiff shoulders of your black cape, a thin chain silver chain holding it on at your throat, stepping off the elevator in the underground senate chamber to meet Hux just as everyone was beginning to assemble. You nodded at Leia as she strode past, deep in conversation with a few of her advisors, a few higher ups that you’d never interacted with on D’Qar, but one of them turned to lock eyes with you and you felt your knees buckle. Your father was here. He was standing there with Leia, his eyebrows knitted together at the mere sight of you. You pushed your chest out, ignoring him all together and spotted Hux standing across the hall, waiting for you with his normal gaggle of masked stormtroopers. You didn’t comment, you were just happy that the ones outside your door had been removed at some point in the night.

“Shall we?” Hux lead you forward with a gentle touch on the small of your back. You itched to twist his wrist until the bones cracked, but allowed it nonetheless as you walked into the Senate chamber. It was giant and marvelous and awe-inspiring all at once. An echoing of voices drifted from the rows below, your father’s booming laugh standing out over everyone else. You tensed, gripping the railing of your box until your knuckles ached and turned white. Hux looked down at your hands and then back up at you, breathing sharply out his nose.

“What is it?” He was short with you, as if still hurt from your name calling that morning.

“Nothing.” You could just pick out the salt and pepper hair on your father’s head, standing in a box far below your own. If he felt your glare on him, he didn’t turn to look at you.

“Fine.” Just then, the lights in the room dimmed to flickering candlelight and a circular podium rose from the floor, the entire room hushing into silence. The Chancellor, Lanever Villecham, along with a few others rose into the spotlight, greeting the crowd with a calm demeanor. You immediately felt at ease with him as he went over the agenda for the day’s session, including an afternoon trial for a notorious bounty hunter that had recently been apprehended in the Outer Rim. Another ache in your chest for your old life. Once upon a time you might have been part of the team that had apprehended the bounty hunter that had killed two queens.

“It is my great pleasure to welcome Senator Armitage Hux and the First Order to our midst. We look forward to a long and peaceful relationship.” Chancellor Villecham was saying. Every head in the room seemed to turn toward you and Hux standing side by side. You smiled bleakly, avoiding your father’s gaze, the inevitable disappointment in seeing you with the First Order, regardless your true allegiance.

“As do we, Chancellor, thank you.” Hux dipped his head with a show of respect. And with that, the meeting commenced. Trade tariffs and taxes were voted upon, a majority rule that seemed to have very little opposition. Almost every senator agreed on all new laws to be enacted, though there was always Leia, who, despite your father whispering away in her ear, was a lot of the time the lone minority on major issues such as ending the slave trade and child labor laws. Your stomach soured to watch so many hands raise in favor of continuing the cycle of poor children being sold into slavery to pay their parent’s debts. You glared at Hux as he raised his hand in solidarity.

“It is the way things have always been done.” You shook your head and folded your arms across your chest at his words. What could you do? You were no senator. You had no say over the ways of the galaxy. Service droids made their rounds with small platters of food and drink, though you took it easy on the wine today. You were adamant not to have any more mishaps like the previous night.

The hours drug on, the senate meeting itself nearly as boring as the party the night before. Your head had been bobbing, falling in and out of consciousness until the sound of uniform footsteps brought you back to the room.

“Bring in the bounty hunter,” The Chancellor announced and you stood, almost leaning over the railing of your box to get a better view. Hux tugged you back by the edge of your black cape, but you swatted his hand away. He sighed impatiently, but left you alone nonetheless. The man was as tall and fearsome as legend made him out to be. You could make out his piercing blue eyes from here, in such contrast with his overgrown black hair. His limbs were long and lean, his frame making it easy for him to slip away in nearly any situation. His hands were bound and feet shackled with laser cuffs, flickering the same blue as his eyes. He smirked silently as four guards set him before the Senate, the room full of whispers.

“Rhysio Daivik,” The Chancellor began, coughing a little and taking a sip from the glass chalice before him. “You are charged with the murder of the late queens of both Gatalenta and Naboo. Do you refute these charges?”

“Poison,” Daivik’s sharp baritone echoed in the chamber, his grin as lethal as his hands.

“I beg your pardon?” The Chancellor coughed again. Your heart began to pound in your chest.

“I killed them with poison. It’s relatively simple, if you blend in, or find someone who can.” He continued to smile as blood sputtered from the Chancellor’s mouth. It took everyone a few moments to realize what was happening, but you were already on your feet. The Chancellor fell forward, his head banging on the table before falling to the floor. The screaming started, and Daivik’s cuffs and shackles blinked out of existence. He turned to one of the guards, tugging his blaster out of his hand, shot all four in rapid succession, and then turned on the crowd. You raised your eyebrows, if he hadn’t been trying to murder the entire Senate, the show would be incredibly impressive. Hux rushed to his feet, shoving your body behind his as the first few shots of red peppered into the boxes.

“Would you get out of my way?” You pulled your own blaster from a hidden pocket sewn into your cape and ducked to flatten your shoulders against the top of the railing, aiming at the lithe figure. Nearly everyone had run from their boxes, but he was still shooting. He locked eyes with you and you both shot at the same time, his mark finding home in your shoulder. You groaned as you went down, muttering a string of curses as Hux knelt beside you.

“Are you mad?” He pulled you to your feet, forcing you to go with him with a tight grip on your left wrist. Sharp pain shot all along your right arm as you ran, your blaster left forgotten on the floor of your box.

“We have to go back, Hux, he killed the Chancellor! I have to capture him!” Tears stung your eyes at the pain, but you still resisted his efforts to drag you away from the underground chambers.

“If we don’t get you to a medic droid right now, you could lose your arm!” Pins and needles danced in your fingers. He was probably right. You ran on as several loud crashes sounded behind you, taking the stairs up into the chaos of the lobby.

“We’ll have to get up to the ship, none of the senators are safe here with that deranged bounty hunter on the loose.” Hux and his troopers shoved a crowd of other senators out of the way, your eyes scanning the crowd for Leia and your father, but coming up with only strangers. You entered an elevator, the doors sliding closed and shutting off the panic to an eerie silence.

“I have to make sure Leia is alright.” You held onto your burnt skin with your left hand, blood oozing out between your fingers.

“You can com her once we get out of here. I saw her running with her Resistance friends in the lobby. She will be fine.” He looked pointedly at your shoulder. “It’s you that we need to make sure is alright. I promised your friend Dane that the First Order would take care of you.” Your heart clenched at the thought of Dane, all alone in his suite, healing from the injuries you’d caused him. The burn on your shoulder was just a small bit of the karma you deserved.

“Fine,” You had the feeling that if you refused, Hux would have one of the stormtroopers throw you over their shoulder. You exited on the 52nd floor, taking the bridge across to where the First Order ship sat just where you’d left it.

“Prepare for take-off,” Hux barked at the troopers, who sealed the ramp closed behind you as Hux nearly dragged you on. “We have medic droids in storage.” He pointed to the couch where you’d sat just the day before on the way here, “Sit,” He ordered. For once, you listened, the pain making your teeth clench. You unhooked the chain from your cape and took in the damage; your skin was blackened at the edges, the muscle below mangled and oozing blood.

“Shit,” You felt the hot, red liquid slide down your arm and onto the couch. You could no longer feel your fingers. This wasn’t good at all. The ship rumbled to life and shot into the sky, a few others doing the same from the looks of it out the window. Hux returned with a tall white droid in tow, a silver table of instruments floating behind it.

“We’ll be back on the Finalizer in a few hours,” Hux pushed some loose hair out of your eyes. “Until then,” You felt the prick of a needle in your thigh, and drifted peacefully into sleep.


	7. Open Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are back on the Finalizer and on the mend. That is, until Kylo Ren pays a visit to your hospital room. He gives you some interesting revelations, including a brand new team of guards to babysit you. These guards, who are so lovingly nicknamed his "Knights", will be keeping a closer eye on you. Thank goodness General Hux is there to keep Kylo Ren and his Knights from doing anything rash... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya, there's a reason for the 18+ warning in the description....
> 
> Not gonna lie, writing/editing this really helped distract me from the absolute chaos happening in the US right now. I hope if you live in the US, this helps distract you too! If you don't, I'm really fucking jealous of you, ngl. Anyone from Europe wanna adopt me? Pls DM me! jk! Unless....
> 
> Anywayssssss, PLEASE ENJOY I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS I'M SO THANKFUL FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU READERS! ILYSM
> 
> ((PS: Any SJM fans catch my reference? I had to!))

Things were hazy when your eyes fluttered open, all of your senses dull. Your heart rate accelerated as you rushed to sit up, looking around to determine where you were. The room was empty, crisp white sheets tucked you into a single hospital cot, a loose, black gown falling to your knees with nothing underneath. As you lifted your upper body up, a sharp pain shot down your shoulders. Foggy memories of running with Hux to escape the bounty hunter at the senate meeting rose to the surface. You grimaced, lifting up the baggy sleeve of your gown to look at your shoulder. It was bandaged, clean white strips wrapped all the way around your shoulder to across your chest and over around your shoulder blades. Your body was sore as you rose to sit, head swimming, skin suddenly sweltering hot. It felt like it had only been a few moments, but as you attempted to stand, a distant voice snapped into focus. You screamed, nearly pitching forward as a tall, black figure appeared before you. The person caught you, shoving you back toward the cot with a bit more force than necessary.

“Should I be concerned that you’re losing your mind?” Kylo Ren stood there at the side of your bed, his head tilted to the side in his signature predatory stare. The dizziness was gone, but heat flooded you again, images from your dreams shouting around your head. A low rumble of laughter from inside his helmet. “Very interesting dreams,” Your mouth fell open, a deep blush rushing into your cheeks.

“You said you couldn’t hear my thoughts,” Your words were half mumbled, but he understood perfectly.

“Normally, I can’t. Now, I can. Maybe it has something to do with the drugs.” He caressed the clear bag of fluids connected to your veins with a long, thin tube. You moved your arm, slowly as if trudging through water, to rip out your IV, but Ren’s hand caught yours, dwarfing it with his long fingers. He pinned your hand to the sheets beside your head, bringing his other to your jaw, his touches feather-light. You made a small sound, somewhere between a whimper and a groan, the fantasies in your head getting darker. Now he could see, now he was watching himself removing his helmet, pressing his bare cheek against your inner thighs, tying you up in his interrogation room… you realized how heavily you were breathing, how your knees were drifting apart, how Ren had crawled into the bed with you, his body dangerously close to yours.

“You have quite the imagination.” He purred, the point of his index finger tilting your chin up.

“Take off your helmet, you coward,” You slurred, reaching up with your free hand to grip the underside of his mask. He shot back, slapping you across the face with enough force to leave your cheek stinging with pain.

“I decide what you see and when you see it,” He hissed, moving back on you to squeeze your neck until you were clawing at his hand, desperate for air. “You’d like that though, wouldn’t you,” He finally let go, a great many things rushing into your head at once, blood and oxygen, for one thing, but also a visual of you, red lightsaber in hand and black hood nearly covering your face, standing slightly in front of a masked Kylo Ren. His own saber was illuminating him like a wicked saint. The scene changed, you were looking down on yourself in a large, black bed, naked, hands bound to the headboard, lips parted and eyes shut tightly with either pleasure or pain, perhaps a bit of both. Despite the drugs, you felt deeply in your core that these were not your thoughts, but like the night of the cocktail party, you were seeing inside someone else’s mind. The thought made your skin crawl.

“No!” You yelled, falling abruptly out of the images playing in your head and back to the hospital bed. Kylo Ren was mid-air, flying across the room away from the bed, hitting the wall with a loud smack of his helmet. With a cry of pain and fear, you ripped the IV from your wrist, blood pouring from the small puncture in your skin. Ren was face-down on the ground, not stirring as you leapt from the bed. The room spun around you as you tried to make a run for it, blubbering and gasping as your injured shoulder blasted sharp pains down your arm. A medic droid opened the door just as you stumbled over to it. You pushed past it and ran through the apparent hospital wing of the Finalizer, it’s uniform hospital cots lying empty. You crashed into one of them, nearly falling on your face, but you reached the exit, realizing quickly that you had no idea where you were. You heard the tell-tale signs of Kylo Ren’s waking: a lightsaber unsheathed, the crashes of a temper tantrum. You took off running, weaving between the narrow walls of an empty hallway, the hum of a laser getting closer and closer until it drowned out your thoughts completely. The pain medicine was starting to wear off now, your shoulder throbbing, especially because you kept banging it on the wall, but your dizziness was starting to clear. You rounded a corner and screamed as someone caught you in their grip, but there was no pain of a lightsaber slicing you open. You breathed a sigh of relief to find Hux staring down at you, panic ripe on his face.

“What’s going on? Why aren’t you in bed?” It was at that moment that Kylo Ren rounded the corner, lightsaber ignited and poised to strike.

“You,” He growled, pointing the tip of the laser towards your chest. “How did you do that?”

“Commander Ren,” Hux warned, trying once more to push you behind him, to step in front of an angry Kylo Ren for you.

“You don’t speak to me,” Ren spat, standing terrifyingly still with rage. “Going to let him fight your battles for you? And you call me the coward.” You shoved your way past Hux, who murmured your name, exasperated and maybe even a little afraid. As adrenaline drowned out the sedative, your mind became your own once more, you felt it like the snap of a rubber band back into place.

“Go on and kill me then, Ren. Do it.” You stepped so close to the extended lightsaber that you could feel the heat radiating on your skin. Just a centimeter closer and it would probably burn a hole in your gown.

“The implications of this will not be good, Commander, think clearly, I’m begging you-” Hux was stumbling over his words, still tugging on your arm trying to pull you back.

“Shut up!” You and Ren spoke at the exact same time, gazes snapping back on each other, your eyes narrowing at him.

“You know more than you say. What did Leia tell you?” Ren relaxed his grip on his saber as he spoke, but kept it pointed at you nonetheless.

“She didn’t tell me anything!” You retorted, the heat on your chest starting to become uncomfortable. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You used the Force on me.”

“That’s impossible.” You stated, Hux gasping behind you. A group of six male soldiers coming straight from some sort of training, dripping in sweat and out of armor, chose that moment to round the corner, laughing and teasing. They stopped in their tracks, staring between you and Hux, over the ignited red laser to Ren.

“Commander Ren, sir,” The one in front choked out, all of them bowing their heads in respect. “General Hux,” The same one said, but with an almost mocking tone. Ren retracted his lightsaber, clipping it back on his belt. You breathed a sigh of relief, the post-adrenaline high making your hands shake and the sharp pain return to your shoulder.

“Let’s get you back to the hospital wing.” Hux insisted, a strong hand on your back pushing you forward toward Ren.

“Actually, I think I’d like to be in my own rooms. I have a few calls to make.” You grimaced as you realized you had no idea how long you’d been out.

“I’m sure she’ll be more comfortable there, Hux, especially since I am so generously giving her a rotation of my Knights as her guard.” He gestured to the burly men, who stood stiffly to attention at their mention.

“What happened to my old guard? They were perfectly adequate.” The last thing you needed was more men loyal to Kylo Ren following you around.

“They were…” He paused for dramatic effect. “Disciplined and reassigned. They were unobservant enough for you to slip past them. My men are not.” Hux looked incredulous, like this was news to him.

“I’m inclined to agree with Commander Ren.” It was your turn to whirl around to face Hux, eyes pleading. “You are a vital player in our organization, you must be protected.”

“And who’s going to protect me from him?” You pointed back to Kylo Ren, your arm touching the air where a lightsaber had been ignited just minutes before. A muscle twitched in Hux’s jaw, but he didn’t speak. You felt Ren step closer to you, his shadow towering over yours.

“And just what would you need protection from?” You swallowed, heat rising to your cheeks at the thought of what you’d seen in Ren’s mind, at the places he’d already touched you. “Ap’lek, Vicrul, escort our liaison back to her rooms. You have first guard duty.”

“Yes, Commander.” One of them spoke, you supposed the leader, with curly black hair cut short and cruel, dark eyes, the kind of eyes you imagined Kylo Ren himself to have under the helmet. He and the other, a shorter, thinner man with longer, dark hair that he’d tied into a ponytail down the nape of his neck, went to grab you, but you shook your arms from their grip, earning yourself a zing of pain down your arm. You gasped, but stood your ground.

“I can walk.” You snapped, holding your injured arm across your abdomen to keep it still. With one last glare at Hux, you let two of his Knights lead you back to your room.

A medic droid came by a few hours later, dragging an IV pole with a clear bag of fluid hanging on it. You refused to be attached, lest Kylo Ren be able to read your thoughts again, or you accidentally use the Force again. If that's what had happened, you still weren’t sure. Everything had happened so fast and was fuzzy thanks to the sedative they’d pumped into you. The pain was almost unbearable, but that was more manageable than being a helpless victim again. After awhile, you drifted off into a fitful sleep, full of nightmares of red and black, waking to even more pain than you’d fallen asleep with. A beeping sound pulled you from your haze of half-asleep agony, you rose slowly from your propped black pillows, turning to your bedside table to grab your communicator, the code for the General displaying in small letters over the middle. You winced reaching for it, your shoulder screaming in protest, but answered just in time, Leia’s face projecting above the disc.

“Finally! I’ve been trying to reach you for three days. We thought you’d been killed!” The relief was potent on her face and something in your stomach flipped. You supposed you weren’t used to being missed or wanted.

“I was injured by the assassin. He shot me in the-” You trailed off, shock coursing through your veins. “Did you say three days? How long has it been since the assassination?”

“Four days. Are you alright? Do you need us to come collect you?” You thought about that for a long moment. To be rid of this, to be done, to go home. But the thought of failure had bile rising in the back of your throat.

“No.” You said pointedly, sitting up straighter despite the pain. “I’m fine. I’ll rest and heal and be back in no time.” Your face grew dark and you lowered your voice. “But Kylo Ren is keeping me on a shorter leash now. He has a group of warriors he calls his ‘knights’ that he’s got guarding me now.”

“The Knights of Ren?” A new voice came in from the background, a familiar face coming into view next to Leia. “You have to be careful, they are vile and vicious. I’ve heard almost as many terrible stories about them as I’ve heard about Darth Sidious.” You raised your eyebrows at Dane, unsure you believed that the joking group of men you’d witnessed in the hall could be as bad as a Sith Lord.

“I’ll be fine. Where are you? How is everyone doing? Did everyone make it out of Hosnian Prime?” You didn’t ask about your father, but you wondered in your mind if he was alive or dead, heart aching with guilt as you realized you hoped for the latter.

“We were able to make it back to D’Qar in one piece. No fatalities.” Leia reported. “They evacuated the building, but the assassin was able to escape. Disappeared right into the night, as most bounty hunters do.”

“I’m starting to think his capture was part of his plan.” You stated.

“I agree.” Dane nodded, the look in his eyes palpable even through the hologram.

“I’ve been contacted by a few of the other senators on becoming Interim Chancellor until we can find another. However, Carise Sindian has nominated General Hux and gotten her followers to back the nomination. I know you’re injured, but I’ll need you to get me as much information as you can about this.”

“What?” You all but yelled, causing the door to your room to hiss as it opened, a masked man entering. “Hold on,” You stared at the intruder, raising your eyebrows expectantly and waiting for him to speak. “I didn’t request you.” You narrowed your eyes, daring him to take another step.

“I’ll let Vicrul know you’re awake.” Said a gruff, deep tenor from under the mask. “He’s to change your bandages.” He turned on his heel and walked out, the door sliding shut behind him. You sighed, realizing your job as a spy was going to be a lot harder with those guys hanging around.

“Vicrul? Leia this is unacceptable. She can’t handle all six of them plus Ren, it’s-” You narrowed your eyes as Dane spoke.

“I can hold my own, thank you. The Knights of Ren don’t scare me.” You snapped as Dane shook his head, disappearing from the frame.

“I trust you,” Leia said, looking back after Dane. “I’m sure Hux will tell you there’s a meeting tomorrow to elect the interim chancellor and build a task force to look for the assassin.” She looked sadly at you. “I doubt you’ll be healed enough to attend.”

“I’ll be ready,” You promised, but winced as pain shot through you.

“No, you will stay on the Finalizer and heal, and that’s an order from your General. I’m sure General Hux will say the same. I can handle him for a few days.”

“I-“ You opened your mouth to argue, but Leia’s face disappeared with a final, genuine smile. Well, so much for that. Your stomach churned at the thought of being alone with Kylo Ren and his Knights, but perhaps this was the time to test how far you had to go to get around your new babysitters. Speaking of, the door to your room slid open and Vicrul swaggered in, removing his helmet almost immediately and setting it at the end of your large bed. He was the leader, the one with the cruel eyes, dark skin, long eyelashes, bulging biceps; He reminded you of Dane, but only if you stripped away everything that made him true, and kind, and someone that was capable of love. You tensed, your eyes searching around for a weapon, just in case. You were empty-handed. His eyes flickered to yours, his calloused fingers running up your arm to push your sleeve out of the way. The bandage had started to bloom with dark spots of blood.

“Where’s the medic droid?” You asked tentatively, watching his long fingers work to unravel the bandages.

“I’m better.” His voice was gravely and deep, an accent that you couldn’t place slipping in on the last syllable. You squeezed your eyes shut and held your breath as he peeled off the bandage from the wound itself, some of it sticking to your skin. Tears stung your eyes as he examined it, peeling open your skin to see how far down it went.

“You call this better than a medic droid? Is this your master’s idea of torture?” He snorted, but continued working, taking a bottle of some sort of salve from a hidden pocket and spreading it over your wound. You nearly screamed as he touched the raw flesh.

“You need pain medicine,” It was more of a statement than a question, but you balked.

“No,” You refused, taking a deep breath before the next wave of pain had a tear slipping down your cheek. “If this is going to help me heal, then keep going.” You turned your head away as he finished working, cutting the dirty bandage and replacing it with a fresh one, gaze sliding up to yours.

“It will be better tomorrow. You should take the medicine, it will help you sleep.” He stood, reaching for his helmet.

“I don’t need anymore sleep, I need to speak with General Hux.” You started to climb out of bed, your bare feet shocked by the cold ground. Vicrul held his helmet at his side, a deep gray grid pattern over most of the face, with an intimidating black slit for the eyes.

“General Hux left earlier in the night for Hosnian Prime.” Your heart sank into your toes. “But I can bring you to Commander Ren.” You rolled your eyes, noticing with a start that the wound on your shoulder had begun to burn. You gasped as the burning spread, pulling your sleeve up, but the bandage was still pure and clean.

“What did you do to me?” Vicrul smirked, a small, evil expression that had only the left side of his lips curved upward.

“The burning means that it’s working.” He lowered his helmet onto his head, but you called after him.

“Vicrul, if you’ve poisoned me, I’ll,” The world started to spin. “I’ll-“ The last thing you saw was Vicrul twirling an empty syringe between his fingers before everything went black.

You came to with groggy, heavy eyes, trying to move your limbs but finding they were strapped into place. Your heart started to hammer as you struggled against your bindings, looking around frantically to figure out where you were. All of your blood dropped into your toes; you were in Ren’s interrogation room, strapped to the torture device, and the man himself was lounging against the wall menacingly.

“Let me out immediately!” You demanded, struggling again, realizing as you moved your arm that there was only mild pain in your shoulder.

“I thought this was what you wanted.” He stalked toward you, your attempts to strong arm the bindings useless. “You are always trying so hard to be stronger, tougher, than everyone else in the room. But you want to know what I think?”

“Not particularly.” You spat, feeling fire flooding in your veins as he stepped closer, peeling off one of his leather gloves to reveal his pale flesh.

“You want someone else to be in control.” His bare hand touched your knee, sliding higher and higher up your thigh under your black gown. “You want me to take you.” You swallowed, staring into your own reflection in his helmet, mashing your lips together to prevent any sound from escaping them as he grabbed at your inner thigh.

“Let me down, Ren, I’m not a prisoner here.” A sharp intake of breath as his hand explored higher and felt you, hot and dripping.

“You’re worse than a prisoner,” He dragged your own wetness up and rubbed your clit, making you squirm. “You’re a filthy spy living here under false pretenses.” You clenched, lips falling open as the pleasure from his expert fingers intensifying.

“Prove it,” You threw his own words back at him, gasping as his fingers left your clit and plunged inside, hooking your G-spot in one motion.

“I can take what I want from you.” He growled, pulling his fingers out of you unlocking all of the buckles holding you down with a simple wave of his hand. You dropped to the floor and stood before him, anger and lust entwining in your bloodstream.

“And what is it that you want from me?” You held your breath after you spoke, your feet rooted to the floor. He reached up with both hands and lifted the helmet from his head, dark waves spilling onto his shoulders, full, pink lips, a bold nose, though you hadn’t imagined his eyes quite right. They were not the same as Vicrul’s, but something hidden deep in their depths. You stared at each other for a moment, chests heaving with the intensity of the moment, before you reached up and slapped him across the cheek. It only seemed fair, after all, he’d hit you first. He grabbed you, shoving you hard against the paneled wall, his breath hot and ragged in your ear.

“You’ll do what I say,” His lips and teeth were on your neck, making your back arch involuntarily. The sound of his voice, undiluted by the mask, made your knees wobble.

“Or what?” You breathed, your hands grabbing fistfuls of his shirt for support. He loomed over you, those dark eyes looking into your soul.

“Or I’ll let the Knights have a turn.” You couldn’t feel anything but a new pulse, beating between your legs, as his lips took yours as their own. His tongue demanded entrance into your mouth, his hips pinning yours into the wall. You lost yourself in him, reveled in it, let yourself feel whatever wicked thing you felt for him. You could regret it later.

“On your knees,” He commanded; You stared at him for a long time, the voice of reason wrestling with your desire somewhere in your head, but in the end you obliged, reaching with greedy hands toward his belt. His fingers brushed over your bottom lip, pulling it open and allowing you to suck his thumb into your mouth.

“Such a pretty mouth,” You got his belt undone, feeling him hard beneath just a thin layer of fabric. “I bet you want it wrapped around my cock.” His voice was raw, throaty, as you unbuttoned his trousers, the considerable length of him springing free. You wasted no time tracing the protruding vein on the underside with your tongue, swirling it around the head. The feral animal that was your desire purring with satisfaction at the small gasps Ren elicited at just one swipe of your tongue. You stood, confusion blooming over Ren’s face before you turned the tables on him, shoving him against the wall so hard you heard the bang of his head against metal, but he only smiled, a playfulness glittering in his eyes. You slid your hands from his chest down his abdomen as you dropped back to your knees. He let out a raspy moan as you wrapped a hand around the base of his cock, spitting down on him without letting your gaze leave his for even a moment. You twisted your hand around him as you stroked, just a few times up and down before you replaced it with your mouth. You felt him lean back against the wall, grasping for purchase on the sleek panels. Finally his fist wound into your hair and you gasped at the sharp pain in your skull.

“Is my pretty mouth too much for you, Kylo?” You teased, pulling back and stroking him with your hand, your blood thrumming to feel it slick with your saliva. You bit your bottom lip as the look in his eyes turned predatory.

“I’m going to fuck that mouth until it stops insulting me.” He growled, holding onto your hair like he was a puppet-master managing his puppet, forcing you to take his whole cock in your mouth. You gagged, cries muffled by his hips thrusting in and out. You grabbed onto the back of his thighs, trying to focus on breathing as his relentless attack on your mouth continued. His groans and hand pulling on your hair only building up pressure between your legs. He slowed, handing the control back over to you, letting you bring one hand to wrap around him, the other down between your legs, circling your clit. His cock twitched in your mouth and you pulled back, standing up and ready to jump on him, if only to get him inside of you. He grabbed you by the throat before you could even try.

“You want me to fuck you?” He panted, your body pulsing with need, tightening his grip around your neck. You nodded, whimpering as you felt yourself dripping down your inner thighs. “Too bad. You’re going to have to work for it.” He released your neck, smirking as the disappointment rocked you. He forced you down before him. “Open up, slut.” He spit into your mouth as he pumped his cock with his hand just twice before he shot his load into your mouth, breathless moans falling from his lips as you swallowed his salty cum. He buttoned himself back into his pants and took you in, lips swollen and body shaking with unreleased tension.

“Vicrul,” He called, his masked Knight appearing as the door to the room slid open. “Take her back to her room.” You stared at Kylo Ren incredulously, your body begging to be touched, to be brought to release.

“Yes, sir.” He dragged you up by your elbow and led you from the room.


	8. A Fine Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are asked by the First Order to delve even further into the world of politics, so far that you aren't sure you'll ever be able to get out. Your encounters with Kylo Ren leave you feeling out of control and further away from the person you thought you were. The Knights of Ren show you their training room for you to let off some steam through violence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger Warning** This chapter depicts graphic sexual scenes and dubious consent. If that is something you do not want to read, I will mark the beginning of those scenes with three asterisks (***) It is near the end of the chapter.

You were deathly silent when Vicrul threw you into your room like it was a jail cell. Your body was pulsing, the desire pumping uncomfortably through your blood with every hammering beat of your heart. You considered it then, calling Leia and Dane and begging them to come get you. Obviously you weren’t strong enough to ignore the uncomfortable feelings that Kylo Ren ignited in you. And now that you’d seen his face… it was devastating how beautiful he was, how his lips had felt against yours, how he’d mesmerized you with those dark eyes staring down into yours. You dry heaved, crawling to the toilet when you thought about his thick cock pumping in and out of your mouth, how he’d tasted, how you liked it. You vomited. Self-hatred replaced your lust for Kylo Ren, not only for allowing him to use your body like a whore, but for wanting it, for wanting more. You drew yourself a bath, desperate to wash away every touch of his hands on your skin, to be clean of him altogether. When you stripped off the black gown, peeling off the bandages on your shoulder, you were startled to realize the wound had closed. It was still bruised; purple, red, and angry, but it was no longer weeping blood and burning with sharp pain. You ran your fingers over the skin, tender to the touch and probably would leave a rippled scar, but it was healing. Vicrul’s burning ointment could work miracles, as much as you hated to credit anything to Ren or his knights. You stepped into the water, sitting in it until it turned cool and your skin pruned.

“Wake up,” A gruff voice startled you out of sleep. It had been a long time since you’d left your room, the disorienting constant darkness of space leaving you blind to what was day and what was night. Your blood pressure lagged behind your movement as you sat up, black spots flickering in your vision. One of the knights was at your bedside, you recognized the mask as Ushar when the dizziness faded.

“What’s going on?” You rubbed your eyes, but they still felt heavy and tired.

“The General is back from Hosnian Prime and has called a meeting with the council. He would like you to attend.”

“Okay, I’m coming.” Your stomach dropped as Ushar strode out of the room, standing to dress. If it was a meeting of the council, Kylo Ren would be there. But perhaps it was time you stopped hiding away to avoid him, maybe this was only furthering his plan to make you so uncomfortable that you quit. It crossed your mind then that his feelings toward you were similar to yours of him; some dark twisted fantasy between two people that could never be. A lump rose in your throat, but you swallowed it back, staring at your hollow face in the mirror and trying to liven it up. The task proved impossible. You followed Ushar and Cardo, the knights assigned to you, down the hall and past the hangar where troopers were cleaning and unloading Hux’s personal ship. You were the last to arrive when the knights stood on either side of the door to allow you entrance. The only open seat was just to the left of the head of the table, directly next to Kylo Ren. You sighed and took your seat, avoiding eye contact with him and instead glancing around the table at the men of the council. The air was tense, like Kylo Ren was holding it allm under his thumb with the Force.

“What’s going on?” You demanded, noting Hux’s face looking more pinched than usual.

“Right, now that we’re all here,” You rolled your eyes at Hux’s passive-aggressiveness, a prickle on the back of your neck as you felt Ren watching you under his mask. “My bid for Interim Chancellor was not supported by a majority of the Senate.” You snorted, and everyone stared at you.

“I’m sorry, did you actually expect anyone would support that? You are the newest member of the Senate who’s been to one cocktail party and half a meeting. What senator in their right mind would support you?” Hux’s face turned a delicate shade of red, darker even than his hair.

“Senator Sindian seemed to think that an outsider would be a good fit for the role, as most of the Senators were unhappy with the way the old Chancellor handled things.” You leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms over your chest.

“And what reason does Senator Sindian have to nominate you? Why not nominate herself?” A few of the council members mumbled in agreement. “It seems she has little to gain from you being the Interim Chancellor. What she does have is a strong distaste for General Organa, from her response to meeting me. Perhaps she thinks that Leia has a hook in the ear of the First Order through me, and wants to get rid of anyone close to her. Have you thought that maybe she is setting you up for another assassination?”

“You don’t know anything about her.” Hux bit out, slamming a fist on the table defensively.

“She makes a point, Hux.” Eyes wide with shock, you turned your glance slowly to Kylo Ren, hands interlaced on the smooth black table. Was he… defending you? Hux’s face was now edging on purple, eyes flicking between you and Ren, like you were a pair of mischievous children.

“I’m just saying it all seems a little suspicious.” Kylo Ren’s knee was suddenly grazing alongside yours. You clamped your mouth shut and bit the inside of your cheek, trying to control the furious blush that was crawling over your cheeks. This was ridiculous. You moved your knee, crossing one leg over the other, twisting to face away from Ren.

“Fine, fine. I didn’t get the job, anyway.” You had to stop yourself from busting out laughing at the way he sat back in his chair, sulking. “But we begin our campaign for Chancellor tonight.” Hux turned to you. “And our liaison will be at my side.”

“I’m sorry, what? I did not sign up to be a politician.” You countered, though you wondered how often accepting this role would get you away from Kylo Ren.

“You signed up to be a politician when you decided to be the Resistance’s liaison. That’s why we’re perfect, you and I. The people don’t want the career politicians anymore, they want something new. Together, as a soldier and a general, we will prioritize galactic security. Two people from opposing sides, working together toward a common goal, what’s best for the people.” You gaped at Hux, blinking slowly.

“With all due respect, General, I don’t think we even agree on what the common goal is in the first place.” You glanced around the table, this ludicrous situation even warranting a look at Ren, who was tapping his fingers against the table patiently. You swallowed, staring at his fingers for a moment too long. He noticed.

“Unity, working together toward a better future.” Ren spoke, his tone teetering on the edge of seduction. “Protecting the galaxy from threats. We have more in common than you think.”

“The reason that I’m even here is because the First Order is a threat to the galaxy.” You exclaimed, throwing up your hands in disbelief. “Or have you grown so fond of my presence that you’ve forgotten?” Ren chuckled darkly beside you.

“Give it a chance, think it over. I’ve set up a meeting with some of the prominent leaders of the opposition back on Hosnian Prime and we leave in three days. I certainly hope you will be joining me.” Hux stated, his small smile causing you to blink in disbelief.

“I will discuss it with General Organa. My allegiance is first and foremost to the Resistance, and you’d all do well to remember that.” Kylo Ren made an impatient snort and you whirled on him. “What is it, Commander Ren?” You spat, tone dripping with sarcasm. “You seem to have a lot of opinions today.” The room went deathly silent, waiting on the expected outburst of rage.

“Maybe if you stopped inserting yours into every second of silence you’d know what I think.” You scoffed, leaning towards him over the table and opening up your mouth to argue back. “Perhaps you need a reminder of the ways I can make you become quite agreeable.” You clamped your lips shut, the blood draining from your face.

“I won’t be spoken to like this.” You stood from the table, a quick gaze around the table revealed every single man looking down at their hands, even Hux, refusing to stand up to the bully at the end of the table. You stormed out, ignoring Hux’s half-hearted calls after you. Your guard had switched out, Vicrul and Kuruk stood outside the door, following right at your heels when you were out of the room.

“I need to punch something, where do you train?” You stopped in your tracks, waiting for one of them to reply. They were statues behind you. “Take me to where you train, now.” You demanded.

“Your shoulder is still healing.” Vicrul reminded you, coming to stand next to you.

“I don’t care.” Your body nearly shook with unreleased energy. He sighed but took the lead, a guiding hand on your lower back.

You were led to a large room on the eastern most side of the ship, with weights to lift, long rows of shiny black bullseyes to shoot, and a giant padded mat in the middle of the room for grappling. Letting your anger harden into razor-sharp focus, you picked up a vibrosword from a collection of melee weapons decorating the wall nearest the door and weighed it in your hands. This was an old weapon, lethal, dating back to the Clone Wars at the very least. The cool black metal of the hilt warmed to your touch, seeming to conform to the grip of your hand. You flipped a switch with your thumb and felt it hum to life, vibrating subtly with electricity. The silver blade shone in the soft light of a yellow laser that had ignited on its posterior side. Kuruk was bringing out a group of droids, instructing them in another language. You took a power stance in the middle of the padded mat, startling as the lights faded around you and the air turned hot and humid. You looked around, the training room replaced with trees 12 times your size wrapped in ancient vines, strange buzzing insects and animalistic howls coming from deep within the trees. With a flick of your hand, you released your black cloak and let it flitter to the mud beneath you, tightening your grip on the vibrosword.

“Kuruk?” You called, looking around for any indication that you were still on the Finalizer. The noise of the rainforest suddenly faded, like someone had taken away your ability to hear. A twig cracked behind you and you whirled around, your heart jumping into your throat. A huge, spotted creature, hackles raised and claws out, pounced from the treeline, shredding three gashes down your thigh. You cried out, turned just in time to block its second attack. Its canines were as long as your pinky finger, saliva dripping from them onto the ground as it stalked toward you again, eyes glowing red. You flipped the sword in your hand, letting instinct take over and daring it to attack again. When it did, you were ready. You sliced off both its front paws in one swing, its cry of pain ringing in your ears. It crouched away from you, hissing, blood soaking into the mud from its missing appendages. You sunk your weapon between its eyes. When the second one jumped from behind a tree, you didn’t need a moment to recover. You struck while it was still in the air, releasing a roar and ready to sink its teeth into the delicate flesh of your neck. You sliced from throat to tail, blood and innards falling to soak you as the rest of the body overshot you, crumpling like an empty sack next to its companion. You relished in success, soaked in blood, probably foul-smelling, but nothing except victory could register in your mind, nothing except who or what was next. Two arrows shot out of the treeline, the whistle of them through the air like an alarm in the near silence. You cut one in half with your sword while simultaneously swiveling your body to dodge the other. The pain in your thigh barely stung, though you felt the warm drip of your blood slide down your leg, in deep contrast with the blood of the creature that was turning cold and crusting on your skin. Two wookies appeared, seemingly out of thin air, one running at you with a sharp, curved Ryyk blade, the other lining up another shot with its bowcaster. The wookie was larger and stronger than you by a lot, but you’d long ago learned how to use that to your advantage. You ducked nimbly past it, grabbing for the small knife you kept tucked into your boot, throwing it at the farther wookie with a flick of your wrist. Your shoulder pulsed with pain as you threw, causing it to miss its mark, but by a lucky chance it still found home in the wookie’s neck instead of its chest. Either way it was down. You barely missed the second wookie’s attack with its blade; had it not been for a furious cry of mourning you would have lost your left arm at the elbow. You tucked and rolled, the laser on your vibrosword sizzling as it came in contact with the thick mud. You fought hand to hand, blade to blade with the wookie, the clink of metal and the blood rushing through your ears the only sounds you allowed yourself to hear. In a sneaky maneuver where you feigned left, you brought your sword up from below, chopping the wookie’s hand off and catching its Ryyk blade in your non-dominant grip before it hit the floor. It sank to its knees, holding its injured arm at its chest. You removed its head from its shoulders with its own blade. You scanned around for your next challenge, chest heaving, heart hammering against your sternum. You felt the seduction of power caressing your mind, some strange sort of thrill at how feral you felt, covered in blood, surrounded by the bodies of your enemies. Nothing happened for over a minute.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” You yelled, your voice trembling with adrenaline and anticipation. Somewhere behind you, a lightsaber was unsheathed. Your body stilled, even your heart seemed to skip a beat or two. You knew it was Kylo Ren before you turned and saw the glow of his red saber glinting off his helmet. He reached up with his free hand and took it off, throwing it to the ground insignificantly. You stood to your full height, raising your weapon as he started circling you in true Kylo Ren fashion.

“Victory becomes you.” He crooned, his eyes dancing with seductive energy.

“I’m aware.” You shot back, keeping him in your line of sight as he walked, lazily, both pretending that the other was no threat.

“I’ve seen many soldiers fail to take on a wookie one on one, let alone two at a time.” You kept your face impassive, though you were attempting to predict when he would strike, refusing to let the planes of his face or the sound of his voice become a distraction. A rumble of thunder boomed over the horizon, the heavens opening up and pouring down a warm, heavy rainfall. Both of your laser swords sizzled with the contact. The water ran red off your skin.

“There’s a reason the Resistance sent me, Ren. I’m not so easily defeated.” He stopped circling, the outline of his body just visible through the heavy rainfall.

“I do like a challenge.” And then he struck, his lightsaber clashing against your vibrosword with a crack of electricity. You were there to block every blow, but he was herding you back toward the trees, noting with some subconscious part of your mind that the animal caracasses and wookie bodies had disappeared into thin air. He backed you against a trunk of a large tree, but you ducked sideways, his saber carving a large burn into the brown bark. He growled, twirling his lightsaber as he found you standing behind him, blinking through the falling rain. He raised his hand and you laughed.

“Can’t use your magic tricks on me, remember?” But your laughter faltered as the sword wriggled in your grip, flying out of your hand and toward Ren, who sliced it in half with his saber. The laser sputtered out, rendering the blade useless.

“I don’t have to use it on you.” He kicked one of the halves of your vibrosword out of his path and advanced on you. You improvised, scaling another of the large trees behind you, nearly slipping as the bark became slick with rain. You grabbed the lowest branch and pulled yourself up, looking down on Kylo Ren with triumphant glare. He smirked, closing his eyes and holding his hand out once more. The branch beneath you groaned and cracked as it was ripped away from the trunk with the Force. You scrambled to climb further up, but he targeted the next branch you got ahold of, sending your body plummeting to the ground with it. The impact knocked the wind from your lungs, your mind screaming at you to move as you gasped to catch your breath. Ren was leaning over you then, pulling something from the inside of his robes. It looked like the hilt to a lightsaber, but it was the longest one you’d ever seen. It had a second ignition button on the bottom end, as though there was not one but two blades.

“You’re making it too easy.” That was all the encouragement you needed to sit up. “I like a fair fight.” He tossed you the hilt, catching it effortlessly in your dominant hand. A sudden rush of energy washed over you, like this blade was meant to be held in your hands. You shoved that thought away, igniting the lightsaber with the slightest touch of your thumb to the button. It was almost as though the saber worked through thought alone. Two red lights now reflected against the harsh downpour and you couldn’t help but be reminded of the image you’d seen in Ren’s head. You weren’t a fool, you realized that he was watching you get used to the feel of the weapon, that he allowed you to strike first. The saber felt like air in your hand, a mere extension of your arm. It was the most elegant weapon you’d ever used, the most lethal, and yet you held it like you’d been trained with it your whole life. The lightsaber duel quickly became the most exhilarating fight you’d ever been a part of, spinning and twisting, blocking his blows from behind your back with the heat of the lasers tickling at your skin, always just centimeters away from losing a limb. You turned the tables on him, herding him back toward the tree, knocking his saber out of his hand with a swift kick to the inside of his forearm. Back against the tree, your saber held to his throat, he held his hands up by his head, a wicked smile playing over his lips. You bit your bottom lip with frustration, the fighting against the urge to kill him right then and there, to end all of this now. But you sheathed your saber, tossing the hilt away from you with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t like it when someone lets me win.” He chuckled, still leaning back against the tree.

“Now why would I do that?” You shook your head, turning away from him.

“Kuruk? Vicrul? I want out of here.” You called into the abyss of trees, the rain letting up a little. Kylo grabbed you from behind, your body pressed against his as he pinned your arms against your sides with little effort.

“Never turn your back on an enemy. That’s the first rule a soldier learns.” You struggled, but your blood was thrumming excitedly through your veins at the graze of his teeth on your ear when he spoke. “Kuruk and Vicrul aren’t here, it’s just you and me.”

“I didn’t realize you were my enemy, aren’t you the one who says The First Order and the Resistance have much in common?” He spun you around to face him, freeing your arms but gripping you by your waist.

“I think you’re smart enough to realize I wasn’t talking about our organizations.” Your gaze flickered down to his full lips, to small tendriled curls sticking to the sides of his face and forehead with sweat and rainwater.

“I’m nothing like you.” You whispered, the intensity of his dark eyes hypnotic. He simply pulled you closer to him, his hands squeezing the sides of your ribs uncomfortably.

“Liar,” It was like he had his own gravity, pulling your face toward his, your lips to his. You took your hatred of yourself out on him, biting his bottom lip with enough force to draw blood. The metallic taste hit your tongue, but Ren barely seemed to notice, his only reaction to snake a hand into your wet hair at the nape of your neck, pulling until you gasped at the pleasure-pain. You pulled back and stared at him, his bottom lip swollen and painted red with drops of blood.

“I hate you,” You spat, glaring at him as he smirked.

***“Do you?” Your head fell back as his lips found a sensitive area just below your ear, teeth nipping and tongue sliding over your skin. Your hand developed a mind of its own, finding its way into his pants and stroking his cock, already long and hard. He shoved you away from him, tripping over your heel and falling onto your back into the mud. “I never gave you permission to touch me, whore.” He was on top of you before you could get your bearings, pinning your hips to the ground with his, squeezing your jaw on either side with an iron grip. You cried out and grabbed him by the throat, squeezing as hard as you could muster.

“You’re a fucking monster.” Your voice was muffled as he tightened his hold on your face, the bones in your jaw threatening to snap under the pressure.

“Yes I am,” He replied, wearing the insult like a badge of honor. He gasped in a breath as you choked him harder. “And that’s your favorite part. That’s the part of me that you want the most.” He ground himself into your hips, the pressure on your swollen clit making you gasp.

“No,” You choked out, trying to keep your conflicting feelings inside of you. He slapped you, the force enough to leave your cheek burning. You dropped your hand from his neck to cradle your cheek.

“Stop lying to yourself.” He hooked his fingers over the waistband of your pants and had them around your ankles in one swift movement. “What will I find here?” There was no holding back the moan that came from the back of your throat as his head went between your thighs. The sight alone was enough to satisfy your darkest fantasies, but at the first flick of his tongue, his finger slipping easily inside of you, then another, you nearly went over the edge.

“Soaking wet,” He murmured, groaning as you clenched around his fingers. He pulled his fingers out, ignoring your protests as his face returned to loom over you. “Taste how wet I make you,” He shoved his fingers into your mouth, the tangy sweetness of your desire flooding your taste buds. “Slut.” He spat as you sucked his fingers further to the back of your throat. He yanked them away, moving back to bite your inner thighs, hard enough to leave perfect imprints of his teeth. You were incomprehensible, body twitching and muscles clenching as his expert tongue found your clit again, fingers pounding against your G-spot.

“I-I-I-” You stuttered, your teeth clenching and vision going pure white as an orgasm rocked your entire body. He didn’t stop, even when you cried out from the sensitivity, legs shaking and hands curling and grasping into the mud at your sides. He pulled away only to grasp at his pants, but a phantom voice echoed through the forest.

“Commander,” You jumped as you recognized Vicrul’s harsh tone, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen. Ren froze, standing and cocking his head to listen.

“Get up.” He demanded curtly, striding over to collect his helmet and lightsabers we’d discarded on the forest floor. Your legs wobbled but you listened, pulling your pants back up with an angry vigor. “Hux is outside asking for you.” You stared at him incredulously, jumping with surprise as the forest blinked out of existence. You were soaked to the bone with rain, blood, and mud, a few more aches and pains than you started with. Vicrul was standing by the wall at a control panel. You burned with humiliation, had Vicrul seen you with Kylo Ren’s head between your legs? Had he heard your cries of pleasure? You didn’t dare glance at either of them as you fled to the exit, wondering if you would even be able to have a coherent conversation with Hux.


	9. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You accept Hux's offer to return to Hosnian Prime and stand with him as he bids for Chancellor of the Senate. Your one condition is that you go without your babysitters, will Hux be able to pull that off? You look forward to reuniting with Dane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to every single ready, everyone who leaves me kudos and comments! I smile SO BIG everytime I see an email from AO3. THANK YOU!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Hux was in the midst of arguing with Kuruk as you came out of the training room, inquiring why exactly he wouldn’t allow him entrance. Hux stopped mid sentence to take you in, eyes lingering on the large scratches on your thigh.

“What-“ You held up a hand to silence him, the muscles in your legs still quivering in the aftermath.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You sighed, squeezing out your soaked hair onto the floor. “Whatever you have to say can wait until after I take a bath.” He raised his eyebrows but didn’t try to stop you as you stalked off, Kuruk falling into step behind you. You heard Hux greet Kylo Ren with an accusatory tone, but didn’t stay in range long enough to hear whatever bullshit excuse Ren cooked up.

When you were bathed and dressed, and after Vicrul had barged in with more salve for your new thigh wound, you set off to meet Hux. You winced as your leg burned, but it faded away rather quickly. You supposed it was because the wound wasn’t that deep.

“Vicrul?” You questioned, pace quickening to keep up with him. He didn’t respond, but slightly inclined his head back in your direction. “What was that training exercise? Some sort of virtual reality?” Everything had felt so real, the water, the mud, the sounds and smells.

“The Commander had it installed to train new recruits for his personal legions.” Ren’s own personal army. You shuddered to think of an even larger group of the knights, all masked up and ready to battle against the Resistance. “This was before our negotiations took place, of course. Now he only has the six of us left.”

“How many did he have before?” Vicrul was leading you deeper into the belly of the ship. You tried to mentally take note of each twist and turn, looking into empty hallways and open doorways.

“He was in charge of 12 legions, but only about a hundred were part of his special forces.” Your eyes widened, wondering where Ren’s special forces were now, if he still had them under his thumb. Vicrul stopped at a blank black doorway and removed his gloves, pressing his finger to the reader. The door slid open to reveal Hux sitting casually alone on a leather couch, a slim ankle resting over his knee. You took a seat on the matching couch opposite, melting into the buttery soft leather and folding your arms across your chest. The rest of the room was quite plain, a desk with a high-backed chair, the desk neatly arranged with a stack of books and a built-in communicator.

“I was looking to apologize for my behavior earlier at the meeting, but now I fear we have more to discuss.” Hux began, his green eyes flaring with intensity.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” You felt your breath quicken, but you held your composure.

“What’s going on between you and Commander Ren?” Your heart skipped several beats. What did he know? “Is he hurting you?” You released the breath you’d been holding in a relieved sort of snort.

“And if he was, what would you care?” Hux sighed and rose from the couch, pacing with his hands clasped behind his back. You watched him make two or three lengths of the small antechamber before he answered.

“Just because Kylo Ren doesn’t seem to care about anything at all doesn’t mean I feel the same.” You raised your eyebrows at him. “I give a shit about this alliance. I take it very seriously.”

“A lot of pretty words, General.”

“Lead with me, then, and let me prove it.”

“If Senator Sindian is so interested in your bid for Chancellor, why not ask this of her? Surely her experience would help legitimize your claim.”

“I don’t need her. I need you.” He took a seat directly next to you, his intense stare making you shift uncomfortably.

“Fine.” You yielded, watching Hux’s eyes light up. “I’ll go with you to the meeting, I’ll stand with you for all intents and purposes, but I’ll be hearing your pitch just like everyone else, so you better have more to it than just ‘a united front’.” You stood to leave, but paused just in front of the door. “One more thing, Hux,” You said, looking over your shoulder. “Ren’s knights stay here. In fact, I don’t want babysitters of any kind while we’re out on Senate business from here forward. I go where I please, when I please.”

“That can be arranged.” Hux promised, though his brows creased with concern. You wondered if he would be able to pull it off.

“Then I’ll see you in a few days.” You swept out the door, noting with little care that your guard had switched again, Cardo and Ap’lek’s footsteps echoing through the hallways behind you.

Just a few hours before you were set to depart for Hosnian Prime with General Hux, you asked your on-duty knights, Trudgen and Ushar, to take you to Vicrul. Neither of them spoke, much less asked why you wanted to see him, and simply began walking, expecting you to follow. They took you left down the hallway, the opposite direction of the main hangar and council meeting rooms, toward a side of the ship you had yet to explore. They stopped in front of a closed door, though it didn’t do much to hide the sounds of a temper tantrum coming from the other side of it. Kylo Ren was shouting at someone, either punching the wall or slamming furniture around from the sound of it. You cursed under your breath, steeling yourself for the tornado of terror that was likely to whirl around you as soon as you walked in. Three sets of eyes turned on you, one more feral than the others. You could practically feel Ren’s gaze rake you up and down, so you turned yours strategically upon Vicrul and the poor council member he was pinning down on the table. The brown-haired, middle aged man whose name you could not recall was sporting a bloody nose.

“Beating your way up the ladder, Ren?” He smirked at you, eyes flashing with some sort of primal desire that made your stomach twist.

“Wishing to resume our…” He pretended to ponder. “Unfinished business from earlier?” You bit down on the inside of your cheek to ground yourself, willing your mind not to slip into undesirable memories.

“A tempting offer,” You forced your voice to drip with sarcasm. “But I’m afraid I’m here for Vicrul and not you.” Ren looked between you and his Knight, an unspoken question settling uncomfortably over the already tense atmosphere. “It’s time sensitive,” You glowered at Ren, Vicrul standing as still as a statue in his full armor.

“And what can Vicrul give to you that your assigned guards cannot?” He snarled, fists clenching at his sides.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” You breezed over to Vicrul, grabbing him by the elbow, well aware that this may result in your death. You were halfway out the door when the shock wore off, Ren starting behind you.

“Trudgen, you come in here with me. Ushar, you follow them, I want a full report of everything they speak about.” You had to bite your lip to keep a satisfied smile from playing over your face. Kylo Ren was jealous.

You pulled Vicrul into your room and begrudgingly allowed Ushar to stand in the open doorway. You tucked yourself close to Vicrul on purpose, asking him to remove his helmet so you could whisper in his ear.

“I was wondering if I could have a jar of that salve.” You asked when he complied. This close, he smelled like sweat and musk and steel, but somehow it didn’t turn your stomach. It reminded you faintly of Kylo Ren. Vicrul narrowed his eyes, giving you an appraising once over with his dark eyes.

“Your injuries should have healed by now.” He responded in a gravelly whisper.

“But what if I am injured on my trip? We wouldn’t want another incident like last time, now would we?” You smiled a sickeningly sweet smile, which put a bad taste in your mouth. You never enjoyed having to grovel, but the outcome would be worth the shame.

“What trip? General Hux informed us that you declined his offer to join him for the Senate meeting.” Your heart dropped, had you just ruined Hux’s plan to sneak you out without a guard?

“When I say trip, I mean-”

“Don’t bother lying. Ushar, go inform the Commander that General Hux has lied to him. And to appoint two of us to accompany our liaison to Hosnian Prime.” He pulled a simple clear jar from his pocket, filled halfway with an off-white goop. “We will keep it with us in case you have need for it. I don’t just give it out, it is a very rare salve passed down for generations on my home planet in the Unknown Regions. I only have a handful of jars left.”

“I was promised that I would go on this journey with no babysitters.”

“Hux has no authority to make that call.” Vicrul retorted. It was at that moment, with both of your backs facing the open doorway, that someone grabbed you around the middle. You yelped, limbs flailing as you were thrown over someone’s broad shoulder.

“Put me down!” You screeched, banging on the intruder’s back as they made a run for it. “Vicrul!” You called, knowing from the moment that he began chasing you that this wasn’t Kylo Ren’s shoulder you’d been flung over. Troopers flattened themselves against the wall, scrambling out of the way as the intruder ran into the doorway of the main hangar. He grabbed a stun-gun from his belt and turned on Vicrul, Someone tugged on your cape for a fraction of a second, then you heard the thud of a body hitting the ground. You watched in horror as the intruder took off again, loading you onto a ship, Vicrul lying motionless on the ground. The second you were on board, before the man would even let you down, the ship took off into space with a stomach-dropping lurch. As soon as your feet hit the floor, you were in a fighting stance, ready to take on an entire crew if you had to.

“Inspiring work,” Hux’s voice rang out as the ship made a jump into lightspeed. The burly soldier, dressed head to toe in black, bowed without a word and walked toward the cockpit.

“This was you?” You breathed, your shoulder slumping in relief. It was short lived.

“Of course, who else?” He came to you, reaching out to grab your shoulder as though to steady you; As though you might faint. You swatted his hand away.

“This is your plan?” You paced through the room, frustration mounting. “This?!” You gestured around to yourself and the ship. “Kidnapping me, in front of Vicrul, I might add! Were you planning on letting me in on this?”

“It worked, did it not?” You stared at him like he had three heads.

“Are you joking? Kylo Ren will have his knights in a ship following us the moment he found out.”

“But, you see, I’ve thought this through. I’ve already alerted Hosnian Prime to possible intruders. They’re on high alert for Kylo Ren and all of his constituents.” The look of pure pride on his face made you roll your eyes, but deep down, you were worried.

“Ah, yes, the Kylo Ren I know has so much respect for authority.” You murmured, sighing deeply. The brightness in Hux’s eyes dimmed.

“He won’t start a war with Hosnian Prime. The Supreme Leader won’t allow it.” Your attention snagged on the latter half of the sentence. Hux choked, as though he had said too much.

“I’d love to become acquainted with this Supreme Leader of yours.” You took a seat on the couch, immensely enjoying watching Hux stutter and backtrack in an attempt to distract you. In the end, he threw himself down opposite you in resignation.

“The Supreme Leader has far more important things on his plate.” You shot daggers at him.

“Maybe Kylo Ren will tell me, after all he did insist on First Order history lessons.”

“Perhaps he will. And he would be much more of a fool than I.” With that, Hux stalked off to one of the back rooms, leaving you alone for the rest of the journey.

You stepped off the ship into the cool evening air of Hosnian Prime without waiting for Hux to escort you, eager to find Leia and discuss what she knew about the First Order’s Supreme Leader, and why today was the first you’d heard of him. You broke into a huge smile as you approached the large glass doors connecting the docking ramp to the capitol building; Dane was waiting just behind it, still wrapped in bandages, but up and walking.

“Hey, you.” He leaned in to press his lips firmly to your cheek.

“Look at you, all healed up!” You took him in, pinching his cheek with teasing eyes. He was holding a simple oak cane, limping alongside of you as you walked inside.

“Nearly,” He huffed in pain with each step and you slowed to match his pace.

“Need me to carry you, big guy?” He grinned wickedly at your words and feigned jumping into your arms. You both dissolved into laughter as you made it to the elevator. This was good, the first moments of actual happiness you’d felt in a long while. Leia was waiting for you in her assigned quarters on the 82nd floor. Dane went one room over to lie down. Leia rushed to you, scrutinizing every square inch of your body with her analytical gaze.

“Are you alright?” She sounded a little frantic, pulling the neck of your shirt aside to assess your shoulder.

“Yes,” You snatched your collar out of her hand and stepped back, looking at her strangely. “Why wouldn’t I be?” She seemed to realize that you were uncomfortable and composed herself, clearing her throat and clasping her hands behind her back. Unintentionally, a great impression of Hux.

“I’ve been having strange visions. Something is shrouding you in darkness.” She said cryptically, eyes downcast. A cold chill ran down your spine as you remembered how it felt holding the red lightsaber in your hands.

“Leia,” You hesitated, wondering if it would even be worth mentioning at all. “I know we have other things to discuss, but have you found out anything else about my genealogy? I have had some more strange experiences, especially when I’m around Kylo Ren.” You admitted, looking at her for reassurance.

“I’ve had some contacts in Coruscant searching for any answers. The Jedi library with all of the records was, of course, destroyed, but I’d planned on asking for a blood sample while you were here, to test you.” You held out your arm immediately.

“Take it, anything you need.” You swallowed back a lump forming in your throat, feeling ridiculous and childish. “Leia, what if I’m related to one of the Sith?” She smiled genuinely.

“You forget who my father was.” She took your blood sample and sent it through her communicator. “If you are, we’ll start a support group.” She joked, smoothing your hair with a gentle hand. You leaned into it, wondering if this is what it felt like to have a mother.

“General Hux mentioned something to me about a Supreme Leader.” You began, letting your feelings slip into the background. Leia’s face darkened. “It seemed like he’d made a mistake in mentioning him to me and refused to tell me more about who he is.”

“Supreme Leader Snoke is a remnant of the Sith, just as my brother Luke and I are the remnants of the Jedi.” Her voice caught on her brother’s name.

“And knowing this, you’ve allowed General Hux into the Senate? You’re allowing him to bid for Chancellor? Leia, if he takes over the Senate-”

“The senators are not stupid, they realize that Hux is unqualified for the job. I’ve spoken with a great majority of them and there is only a small group throwing their support behind whomever Carise Sindian supports.”

“I refuse to believe Sindian would willingly put her support behind Hux for any other reason than to be named Vice Chancellor and assassinate him at the first opportunity.” You said, remembering Sindian’s obvious distaste for you.

“Perhaps, but I think it’s even a step further than that. She likely wants Hux to be her puppet, the Chancellor that everyone sees, the one that takes all the criticism and blame. She’d be the mastermind behind him, whispering all sorts of evil plans in his ear. Just like Snoke is to Kylo Ren.” Your blood ran cold. She was right, of course, and if that was the case, there was no other option. You needed to be at General Hux’s side.

“He wants me to stand with him while he runs, to show the rest of the senators that true peace can be achieved even in those with the greatest of differences.” You admitted, watching Leia’s lips purse with grave anticipation.

“You’ll do what needs to be done, regardless of the circumstances.You have already done a great deal to support the Resistance, but I fear we all may need to give even more in the coming months.” She looked at you with great admiration and you flushed.

“Anything,” You promised, bidding Leia a goodnight and retiring to your quarters.

When you arrived in your room, you collapsed on your bed, wondering how angry Kylo Ren was in this moment in time. Something ovular and firm hit your back, and you dug inside the pocket of your cape to find the half-full jar of salve that Vicrul had been holding. You gasped, wondering how it had even gotten there. Had Vicrul slipped it in when he’d grasped at you just before getting shot with the stunner? It was the only explanation, but it still seemed unlikely. Why would he help you? You shook your head, tucking the jar back in your pocket and nearly sprinting to Dane’s room. You knocked, a medical droid answering, stepping aside to let you in. Dane was resting on the bed with his eyes closed, half of his body enclosed in bandages.

“Leave us,” You spoke sidelong to the medical droid, who followed your command without question. Alone in his room, you sat down at his bedside, setting the jar carefully in your lap. You shook him gently awake on his uninjured shoulder, his eyes fluttering open.

“Come to take advantage of me in my vulnerable state?” He teased, his voice gravelly and low with sleep. You grinned, holding up the salve.

“I’ve come to make you less vulnerable. At least then it will be a fair fight.” You explained the salve, showing him your shoulder injury and how it had healed into a twisted pink scar.

“Leia didn’t tell me you were shot.” His brows knitted together with concern, running calloused fingertips over your collarbone.

“Probably didn’t think you could handle it.” You winked, ordering him to peel off his bandages as you opened the salve, its minty, earthy scene hitting your nostrils. His skin was marred beyond repair, angry and red but most of the wound beds covered with thin layers of new skin. The burns came up just above his jawline on his left side, missing his ear by a few short inches. Under the blanket, he wore a small pair of loose gray briefs, unraveling the bandages beneath them all the way down his leg. You wondered with a flush of shame how much of the surface area under his briefs was burned. You did not vocalize your question.

“This is going to burn, but that just means it’s working.” You began at the top half of his body, rubbing the salve into his burns as gently as you could, but he grimaced and grunted all the same. When the burning started, you’d just finished his shoulder and were preparing to work on his chest. He groaned loudly, a cold sweat breaking out over his brow.

“It’s okay,” You murmured, wiping away a few of the beads with your thumb as you cupped his cheek.

“You weren’t kidding. This shit burns.” He forced out through clenched teeth. You chuckled, continuing your work with pangs of guilt in your chest for causing him more pain. You worked your way down his body, slightly embarrassed as you reached the burns that disappeared beneath his waistband. He was in too much agony to tease you or make a suggestive comment about finally getting in his pants. You finished up, redressing all of his wounds with bandages and tape. Your face fell as he twitched in pain, capping the near empty jar, turning to call the medical droid back so you could return to your room. Dane’s hand reached out for you.

“Stay,” He grunted, his hand collapsing back onto the bed. You bit your lip, but climbed into bed with him, snuggling up to his uninjured skin and humming something you hoped sounded soothing.

After a few hours, Dane stopped shivering and moaning, seeming to fall into a deep sleep. You’d kept humming, wiping his forehead with a soft cloth you’d found in the medical droid’s supply cart. Soon, you were drifting in and out of sleep too, though yours was plagued with nightmares where you were kneeling in front of some nameless, dark figure, submitting to them and receiving a red lightsaber in return. Your eyes had turned a strange sort of orange rimmed with red, glowing beneath a black hood. You choked back a strangled scream as you thrashed awake, Dane stirring beside you.

“What’s wrong?” He murmured, turning on his side to wrap his injured arm around your waist.

“Nothing,” You breathed, breathing in Dane’s scent, strongly interlaced with the minty salve. “Just a nightmare.”

“I had a nightmare too,” He pulled you in closer to him, turning so your back was pressed against his chest. His lips pressed just below your ear, sending a tingling pleasure across your neck. “All I could hear was that horrendous lullaby you were humming.”

“Shut up,” You snapped, but you were smiling. Genuinely smiling, all of your fear and worry melting away at the feeling of Dane’s chest bobbing behind you as he laughed. “You seem to be feeling better.” You twisted in his arms so you could face him, his brown eyes holding a twinkling light even in the dark room.

“Very much so,” His hand was tracing the curve of your waist, dangerously close to slipping beneath the blanket. “I think I feel well enough to…” He trailed off, your lips capturing his before he could finish his sentence. He rolled onto his back, pulling you on top of him. You were careful not to put any pressure on his wounds, but they didn’t seem to be bothering him, not from the way his bandaged arm was attempting to press your hips down into his. You gave in, grinding your hips against him. He moaned against your lips, grazing your bottom lip with his teeth. His fingers hooked the bottom of your shirt, pulling it over your head with ease and taking you in with a soft awe, like you were his goddess divine. He pulled you back down on top of him, planting little kisses along your jaw, your collarbone, and finally teasing your nipple with his tongue, squeezing your other breast in his uninjured hand. You closed your eyes, panting, but there in the darkness of your mind, it was Kylo Ren who had his mouth on you, Ren’s hard cock you were rubbing against, his large hands grabbing fistfulls of your hair and tugging.

“No!” You shouted, tumbling off his Dane’s lap and onto the other side of the bed. He looked alarmed, holding his hands up by his head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” You cut him off, shaking your head and taking deep, slow breaths.

“No, it’s not you, I just-” You looked up from the white sheets, gray in the dim room, your lip quivering with anger. How dare Ren steal this away from you? How dare he worm his way so deeply into your mind that he haunted even your waking moments?

“Oh,” A soft look came over his eyes as he sat up, grabbing your hand. “I understand,” He turned your hand over, bringing your palm to his lips. “It’s okay, we’ll make your first time something special.” You struggled to keep the laughter contained inside of you, but it was an easier explanation than the real one. Your first time had been up against the wall of a supply closet with a fellow cadet, pants gathered around your ankles, during the last 10 minutes of your lunch break 4 years prior. You’d decided then and there that sex was not worth the hype, and had no inkling to do it again. That was, until you’d met a certain masked Commander. You said nothing, just kissed him, slowly, deeply, and pulled your shirt back on, disappearing to sleep the rest of your night in your own bed.


	10. Ten Ways to Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are back on Hosnian Prime with General Hux, presenting his pitch for Chancellor to several groups of Senators. Afterward, you are taken on a grand adventure with your friend Dane, the end of the night promising some memorable fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are seriously my favorite. I know I say this every week but I get so excited at your comments and literally think about how grateful I am that people are actually reading and liking my work all day! <3 
> 
> This is one of my favorite chapters so far, even though it's SUPER fluffy. Like FLUFF CENTRAL WITH AFTERCARE fluffy. And ofc I have some song recommendations for while you're reading. If you happen to have spotify, I listened to the playlist 'Stay In Bed' made by spotify, but if you don't, I'm gonna link a couple youtube videos below. I'm gonna put asterisks in the text to let you know when to start playing.
> 
> * = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHG80naqNlI , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELFYtrbXLE4 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnJq0h8VP4E (any or all of these songs!)  
> ** = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dd7ssiUo7M (this song is dictator by Rei Ami, but this video is just the first 1:20 extended, which is the only part I wanted for the scene. Lol, people are AMAZING. I fucking love this song.)
> 
> Anyway, ENJOY. I love y'all so much. Thank you again for all the love :)

You awoke to bright rays of morning sunshine through your window, with two hours to kill until you had to report for your first meeting with Hux. You had barely planted both feet on the floor when a gentle knock sounded at your door, sliding open without waiting for a response. Your two attendants were back, most of their faces hidden by black headwraps with attached masks that covered their noses and mouths, leaving only their eyes visible. They could be twins, for all you knew, their skin was a smooth teal with white and gray markings, their eyes the same golden brown.

“Did General Hux send you to make me into something pretty to dangle from his arm?” You called to them, stretching your arms over your head and yawning. They didn’t respond, their slim figures gliding like wraiths toward you, one drawing you a bath, the other stripping you naked to take measurements. You sighed, allowing them to do their work, wondering what ridiculous costume Hux would force you to wear this time.

You looked incredible, even you had to admit it to yourself, but you didn’t think you would ever get used to wearing a dress. There was too much of a breeze on your legs, even though the gown swept the floor with every step. And the shoes, god forbid you had to run, you’d break both your ankles. This dress was shiny black satin, a thin strip circling your neck, then draping over your chest and off the shoulders, your collarbones on full display. It fell like a cape down the back of your legs to fan out in a short train. The rest of the dress was fitted, with sheer, swirling designs cut out at the waist, hugging your hips and plunging straight down to the floor. They’d again attacked you with a hot iron, curling your hair and pinning part of it back, a single golden band placed just below your hairline. You’d snatched it out of one of the attendant’s hands, scrutinizing it for the First Order’s symbol, but it was blank. They’d brushed your face with dark, smoky colors, painting your lips a deep purple. You met Hux as you stepped off the elevator on the first floor, standing with a pair of stormtroopers, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Will you ever tire of forcing me to play dress-up?” You said by way of greeting, stopping in front of him with a mocking curtsy. He surprised you by stepping forward and planting a kiss on your cheek.

“You’re welcome, and you look stunning.” He took your appearance in, crown to floor, with approval.

“I’m looking forward to hearing your pitch, General.” You took Hux’s arm and strode together toward the glass double doors towering at the back of the lobby, leading out to a garden promenade. “I’m surprised we haven’t heard from Kylo Ren or his Knights.” You mentioned as casually as you could muster, your heels clicking on the gray stone surrounding a lavish fountain. You entered a connecting building full of meeting spaces, delectable scents of breakfast wafting through the hallway.

“Oh, he was here. He promised he’d have more to say when we return.” Your blood turned to ice, Kylo Ren himself had been here?

“You don’t mean…” You trailed off, catching Leia’s eye as she rounded the corner from another direction, Dane and your father following closely behind. Your mental hackles raised the second your father noticed you, sneering in your general direction. Hux glanced over at you as you stiffened, the Resistance trio stopping in front of you. Dane looked like a brand new man, his limp so slight that it was barely noticeable. You knew the salve wouldn’t be able to reverse the damage, but the rippled skin on his neck and jaw had returned to match his dark skin, no longer red and angry. Most of his wounds were hidden beneath his black robes.

“General Organa, Dane,” Your father crossed his arms and stood tall, narrowing his eyes at you. “Father,” You mirrored his expression, Hux bringing his other hand up to rest on your forearm as you tightened your grip on him. Dane stared at his hand, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

“General Hux, we meet at last.” Your father shoved his way to the front, shaking General Hux’s hand with white knuckles. “Ivan, a fellow General for the Resistance.” You’d inherited very little, if anything at all, from him by way of your appearance, but you could hold a grudge just as well as he could, and you would never forgive him for making you his last priority. Always choosing the war, the cruel words, the way no achievement was ever good enough. Your mother had died in childbirth, and he didn’t let you forget it. He turned his eyes back to you. “And my daughter, on the arm of the enemy. Can’t say I’m surprised.” Every pair of eyes in the semi-circle you’d created snapped to your father, glaring, but Hux spoke first. Another surprise.

“Your daughter is doing important work for the cause of inter-galactic cooperation and peace. If that constitutes the First Order as the enemy, perhaps General Organa should reexamine your purpose in her organization.” Hux said coldly, not backing down as your father glowered.

“He’s right, Ivan. We’ve spoken about this before,” Leia chastised, a vein in his forehead popping out as he scoffed.

“We’ll see about that,” Your father stormed off toward the door he’d come in from, muttering curses under his breath. You sighed deeply, repressing all of the emotions that were threatening to break through the mental dam you’d built up against them.

“Shall we?” You forced a thin-lip smile over your face while Dane searched for your gaze, but you pulled Hux forward, urging him to lead you wherever it was you were going. He shook his head, but didn’t speak again, unlinking your arms but placing his hand on the bare skin of the small of your back to urge you on, Leia and Dane following closely behind. Your group found their way into the last room on the right, buzzing with conversation and the scent of the breakfast buffet on the back wall. The tables were set up in a semi-circle, a large space in the middle for a presenter to stand. Hux took his place at the front of the room, leaning over to whisper in your ear.

“Today we’re speaking to the senators from Naboo, Sullust, Gatalenta, and obviously the Alderaan Sector.” You watched Dane shoot daggers at General Hux with a rush of amusement, imagining his reaction if he’d known where Kylo Ren’s hands had been.

“And you’re speaking to me.” You said back quietly, shooting him a grin. “I think I’m the most important person to convince.” You winked at him, pink flooding into the apples of his cheeks.

“That you are.” He pulled out a leather-bound journal, going over his notes. You stalked toward the food table, holding your plate very carefully, not quite trusting yourself to keep stains off of your gown. The presentation began when Hux stood, clearing his throat and lifting his chin to look over the crowd. The voices fizzled out, out the only sounds of forks scraping on plates.

“My name is Armitage Hux, I am a general of the First Order’s forces and the senate representative for my people.” He began, launching into a short history of the reason they’d seceded from the republic in the first place, now wishing to rejoin. It all seemed a bit redundant, but you listened respectfully. “General Organa and I have had our differences in the past, that’s no secret. But we have successfully reached not only peace, but an alliance, with the help of our liaison,” Hux introduced you to the senators. “I have spoken at length with a number of you about the triumphs and shortcomings of our late Chancellor (name), and I firmly believe a new face is exactly what the New Republic could use. I am not a life-long politician, like a number of other candidates, I speak with my people directly, I understand what it’s like to live in a world ravaged by war, because I was born directly into it. I want to fight for peace, for inter-galactic cooperation, for progress moving forward. As proof of that, my closest advisor is General Organa’s liaison. She will continue to help guide me should I be elected to serve all of you and your respective people.”

I am prepared to offer my ship, the Finalizer, as a space station, a neutral ground for all of our varied people to discuss trade, business, and other matters of diplomacy. As a military leader, galactic security is incredibly important to me. Together, we could build a strong New Republic military presence with a unified curriculum.” Some of the senators in the audience were nodding, whispering to their aides. Your gaze darted around the room in disbelief. You wondered if Hux actually believed the bullshit he was spouting. ”I sincerely appreciate you meeting with me today, and leave the rest of the morning open for questions and concerns.” The senators launched into an animated discussion, hitting Hux with extremely unlikely scenarios, mostly concerning their specific planets. Credit where credit was due, you thought Hux responded very well. But he very clearly was diplomacy-minded, as much as he liked to taut his title of general. If it came down to it, you’d choose Kylo Ren to lead your army into battle.

The rest of the day passed remarkably similarly, Hux’s speeches so practiced and identical that your head bobbed with drowsiness in the last meeting late in the evening. The sun was setting over the skyline as the questions for Hux drew to a close, everyone standing to leave.

“Please tell me we’re done,” You groaned after everyone had filed out.

“I’m done,” He corrected, leaning up against the table you were sitting behind. “But now it’s your turn. I want to know what you think, if you’ll stand beside me as Chancellor.”

“Can I wear pants instead of dresses?” He snorted, rolling his eyes. “Fine, I’ll do it. Someone has to keep you in line.” Someone had to keep the First Order from taking over the galaxy.

“Looking forward to working even more closely with such a bright and bubbly presence.” You smirked at him, bidding him a goodnight as you walked off to find Leia, bumping into Dane in the lobby, dressed in sleek black pants and a matching blazer.

“There you are,” He greeted you with a deliberate kiss on your lips. If you turned around, you had a feeling Hux would be watching. What was happening? Why were there so many men trying to assert their dominance over you?

“What’s the occasion?” You asked, motioning to his clothing. He took your hand and began leading you out the front doors of the main lobby, the chill of the night causing goosebumps to erupt over your bare arms.

“I’m taking you to dinner,” He stated, shrugging out of his blazer and draping it over your shoulders. Beneath, he wore a crisp white long sleeve shirt, the sleeves and collar hiding a great majority of his burns. Ah, so the foreplay began. You admitted unashamedly to yourself that you were quite excited to see where the night would lead, perhaps one-half of your bathtub fantasy would come to life, if the other could stay buried for one evening of peace.

“Well, aren’t I a lucky girl, to capture the attention of such a high-ranking Resistance commander.” You purred, looking up at Dane from under your eyelashes, a half smile making a dimple appear on the right side of his strong jaw. He hailed a taxi, which was idling a few inches off the ground. After a short ride in the jet stream of traffic high above the streets, Dane helped you out onto a ledge jutting from the rooftop of a building. The restaurant boasted strings of floating lights and pillars crackling with purple flames that emitted the warmth of a late spring day. An orange Twi’lek female wearing nothing but a small strip of white cloth held on with tiny golden chains greeted you, leading you to a quiet table for two near the edge, overlooking the bright lights of the city.

“Anything I can do for you?” She asked with a thick accent, staring with large, fluttering eyes at only Dane.

“No,” He barely looked at her, disappearing to the bar to buy you a drink. Perhaps you could get used to this. It beat Kylo Ren’s idea of foreplay, which seemed to always include nearly killing you. When he returned, you sipped on drinks and ordered food, chatting about memories from your early training days on D’Qar. There was a quiet lull in conversation after your food came, both chewing and looking out over the city.

“How has life been on the Finalizer?” Dane wondered a little too casually, not meeting your gaze directly. You could hear the unspoken question beneath his words.

“I’ve survived so far.” You said after a few moments, looking around at the other patrons, all of whom seemed to be dissolving into deeper levels of drunken revelry as the night wore on.

“Has our masked friend been behaving?” His demeanor was still too nonchalant, like your being near Kylo Ren was a personal offense to him.

“He’s got his cronies watching my every move but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” You swallowed hard, trying to suppress the image of his head between your legs, his hand around your throat, his fingers fill you up… you cleared your throat pointedly, shifting to cross your legs.

“You’d call me, if things got out of hand, right?” He grabbed your hand across the table, running his thumb over your skin.

“What could you do?” The honest question escaping your lips before you could stop it. You didn’t want to ruin the moment, the sweetness of his sentiment.

“I told you I’d help you kill him, didn’t I?” He leaned closer to you, lowering his voice to a whisper. “He’s made it personal for me, on more levels than one.” Something faraway glinted in his eyes, and you wondered if he was thinking of his soldiers, the men that he’d lost when Leia had dispatched them to Endor on your intel. Every beat of your heart was a pang of guilt through your veins. You eyed his ruined, wrinkled skin, disappearing beneath his shirt and appearing again on his hand. He was lucky to still have full use of his fingers. You pulled your hand out of his and retreated into yourself, realizing that you didn’t deserve to be here with him. Not with all that you had done.

“Hey,” Dane reached for you again, this time capturing both of your hands in his own. “Don’t do that, don’t disappear like that. Talk to me.”

“I’m thinking I don’t deserve you.” His face fell, devastation in his eyes at your words. “Not when I’ve caused you so much pain.” You blinked, swallowing back the lump forming in your throat. His stare transfixed you, memorizing every color that wove together to make his eyes shine.

“I’m thinking,” Your gaze dropped to his full lips. “You’re the only thing in my life that takes the pain away.” You searched his face for a tell, for some sign of dishonesty, but his expression held true. “You deserve good things.” He kissed the back of your hand. “Do you believe me?” Somehow, you did.

* Dane paid for the meal and kept his hand on your knee the entire taxi ride back, the both of you sneaking charged glances at each other, the anticipation building. Dane grabbed your hand as you strode into the lobby, interlacing your fingers and grinning at you. He stopped near the elevators, pausing before pressing the button to call it down.

“Would you… like to come to my room?” He asked bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

“Yes, dumbass,” You teased, pressing the button yourself. “You think I was going to let you get away with all of that hand-holding and not expect something more?” His awkward shyness evaporated with a husky laugh, pulling you into the elevator with a playful glint in his eyes. You hit the button for your floor, not taking your gaze off of Dane’s. As the elevator started its ascent, you pressed your body against his, pushing his back against the wall, pulling him by the collar down to kiss you. He took your face in his hands, his tongue sliding effortlessly into your mouth. You slid your hand over his firm chest, down his abdomen, hooking your fingers in his belt-loops, forcing his hips to angle even further toward you. You barely registered the elevator slow, the cool tone of an unplanned stop. You jumped back as the elevator doors slid open, but two tall figures were already staring at you wide-eyed. You bit your bottom lip to suppress your giggle as Dane cleared his throat, adjusting himself. General Hux stepped on, Carise Sindian just behind him. She began complaining loudly about ‘public indecency’.

“General Hux,” You greeted him, sneaking a wicked smile up to Dane. Hux looked to you, then to Dane, turning away with such a slight nod that you weren’t even sure he’s acknowledged you. Hux and Sindian got off on the 77th floor, taking the awkward silence with them. You both burst out laughing as soon as the doors had fully shut, grabbing Dane’s arm to keep yourself upright. He tugged on your hand when the elevator stopped on your floor, leading you out toward his room. As soon as you were in the doorway, he pressed you against the wall, tilting your chin to look up at him.

“We’ll only go as far as you want to.” He promised, planting a soft peck on your lips. “You tell me stop and I’ll stop.” Every hammering heartbeat had you throbbing between your legs.

“Stop talking,” You breathed, hovering your lips just millimeters away from his. “And get me out of this dress.” A low rumble of a moan came from his throat as he succumbed to gravity, your tongues snaking around each other. He flipped you around effortlessly, pressing his lips to the nape of your neck as he undid the buttons holding the halter neckline on, running his hands down the planes of your shoulders and arms, dragging the sleeves over your hands. The dress fell into a piled heap of black on the floor, leaving you bare-chested. Nothing covered your body besides a black lace thong and your heels. Dane knelt behind you, unbuckling the strap over your left ankle, then the right, allowing you to step out of your shoes and down onto the floor. You turned back toward him, staring up as he towered over you, watching his eyes roam over your body. You kicked your shoes out of the way, pulling on his shirt so hard that the buttons popped open, one of them flying off and skittering onto the floor.

“Oops,” You said with faux-innocence, wishing he would just pick you up and throw you onto the bed already. He shrugged out of his shirt with an eager grin, pressing his bare skin to yours and lifting you off the floor. You wrapped your legs around his waist, your palms running along patches of stubble on his cheeks, holding onto the back of his neck as he knelt on the bed, lowering you down carefully onto the pillows. He loomed over you, his lips and tongue finding soft, delicate hollows on your neck that made you moan, tingling all over. He finally let his hands roam below your collarbones, pinching a nipple gently between his fingers, while his tongue flicked across the other. You forced yourself to keep your eyes open, watching him worship your body with his mouth, being here in this moment with Dane and only Dane. One of his hands dropped to your inner thigh, rising higher and higher until there was nowhere left to go, but he paused. You writhed, panting with need.

“Don’t tease me, Dane.” He chuckled, kissing his way down your stomach, then his mouth followed the path of his hand along your inner thigh. He pushed your legs further apart as your toes curled with anticipation of his tongue on your clit. He bypassed again, coming back up to nip at your neck with his teeth. You groaned his name, digging your nails into his back. He cupped his hand between your legs, his palm putting pressure on you while his middle finger pushed your panties out of the way. The overwhelming slickness of you making him swear.

“You’re so wet, baby,” His fingers ran along your slit without entering, bringing slick fingers up to circle your clit. You gasped with pleasure, clenching at his touch. He took your lips with his own again, your whispered curses encouraging him. He slid your panties over your hips, throwing them off the side of the bed to be forgotten. You arched your back when he slipped a finger in, watching you intently for any sign of discomfort or pain.

“Right there,” You moaned when he found the right spot along the top wall, crying out when his tongue met your clit. You grasped the blankets beside you as you writhed in pleasure, the wet sounds of his fingers sliding in and out turning you on even more.

“Does that feel good?” He asked, and tightened around his fingers in response, making him groan into you. You were building rapidly toward orgasm when you sat up to pull away from him, not quite ready to fall over the edge yet.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, concerned, with fresh memories of your response the night before. But Kylo Ren was tucked safely away in your subconscious, at least for the night.

“You’ve got me all naked and exposed, I think it’s only fair you are too,” You reached for his belt, pushing him back on the bed so you could pull off his pants and underwear, taking in his cock, standing to attention for you. It was thick, not quite as large as Kylo Ren’s, but would still hit the back of your throat if you took the whole thing in your mouth. You straddled him, rubbing yourself back and forth on him. You ran your hand along his marred skin, kissing as much of it as you could reach. Finally, you brought your tongue to his cock, swirling around the head and down the shaft until it glistened with your saliva. Dane panted and grunted, the sight of you with between his legs apparently too much to keep up his gentlemanly demeanor. He tangled his hands in your hair, barely restraining himself from forcing your head further down. You crawled up to loom over his face, his breath coming fast as you kissed him, biting at his earlobe.

“You like my mouth on your cock?” You whispered huskily, his hands running down your back to squeeze your ass.

“Yes,” He groaned, a little surprised at your bold language.

“I want you to fuck me, Dane,” At this, he picked you up, throwing you back, pulling your hips up to him, putting two fingers inside you. He stroked himself once, pausing.

“Are you sure?” He fingered your clit as you nodded, resting your calves on his shoulders to give him easier access. He entered you too slowly, giving your body more than ample time to stretch around him, the pleasure-pain of the pressure making you whimper. He stopped, ready to pull out at your first word. You pulled him down on you, assuring him again that you wanted this, that you were ready. Kylo Ren would have already pounded you ten ways to Tuesday whether you’d given him permission or not, but you forced that thought out of your head. You were here with Dane, sweet Dane, who wanted to make sure you were ready, that you felt good. He thrusted slowly, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he moaned your name.

“Faster,” You begged, dropping your hand beneath him to circle your clit. “Oh, Dane, please, fuck,” You said in stacatto with every slap of his skin against yours.

“So tight,” He grunted in reply, kissing you vigorously as he picked up speed. As his cock rammed into you, you edged your clit, so close to orgasm that even the brush of a fingertip against it would throw you over the edge.

“Dane, I’m gonna cum,” You breathed in his ear, your involuntary clenching around his cock causing him to shoot his load inside of you, the room filling with the moans of your coordinated climax. Dane cursed, staying inside of you until your spasms subsided, finally opening his eyes to look in yours, brushing a sweaty strand of hair behind your ear.

“Are you okay?” He kissed you softly, on your lips, then your cheek, then your brow.

“I think that would be an understatement.”

“Did I hurt you at all?” He ran his thumb over your bottom lip, genuine concern in his eyes.

“No, I promise you, I feel good,” He grinned and collapsed to the side of you, pulling you into his chest and covering you with the blanket. And that’s how you stayed for the rest of the night, listening to his heart beat, feeling his chest rise and fall at a deep, rhythmic cadence. You managed to slip into slumber, and for the first time in a long time, you did not dream.

Dane woke before you, stirring and pressing his lips to your neck, pulling your naked body tightly against his. You smiled before your eyes even fluttered open, rolling on top of him and feeling him hard beneath you.

“Mmm, good morning,” His voice was low and growling with sleep, running his hands from your ass up your back and bringing your face down to his.

“It seems someone is ready to go again,” You spit onto your hand, pumping his cock a few times, sighing with pleasure as you sat down on him. You’d just placed your hands on his chest, ready to ride your way to climax, when there was an impatient rap on the door. You both froze, staring wide-eyed at each other. The knock came again moments later, this time a pissed-off Hux called for you outside the door.

“I know you’re there. Are you planning on showing up to any of our obligations?”

“Shit, shit shit!” You slid off of Dane, gathering your dress, knowing you’d never be able to put it back on by yourself. You buttoned yourself into Dane’s white shirt, wrinkled and missing a button, and threw your dress over your shoulder, barefoot with heels in hand. Dane was jumping into a pair of loose-fitting linen pants, walking you over to the door with an overwhelmed look in his eye. He kissed you and promised to find you later. He opened the door for you, shirtless, leaning against it in a show of intimidation to the thin red-headed man standing outside.

“Hey,” You said awkwardly to Hux, striding barefoot down the hall. “Give me five minutes!” You called as you rushed toward your room, not sure how bad of an idea it was to leave Dane and Hux to their own devices.

“The meeting starts in five minutes!” Hux called angrily after you. You were changed in less than three, pulling on a pair of leggings, but opting for a gray, fitted blouse, fastening a black belt around your waist and heeled, black boots. It was a far cry from how you’d looked yesterday, but it wasn’t a soldier’s uniform either. After running a brush through your hair, you deemed your appearance acceptable, though Hux would not agree. You met him outside your door, secretly wishing you could’ve been a fly on the wall for his conversation with Dane. Hux still had both his arms and no black eyes, so it couldn’t have been too bad.

** “I’ve rescheduled our meeting.” Hux looked up from his communicator at you, scoffing at your leggings.

“But we’ll be nearly on time if we go now!” You argued, huffing.

“On time is late, ‘nearly on time’ is not a phrase in my vocabulary.” He shot back, narrowing his eyes. “Plus, I won’t be seen with you dressed like a common servant.”

“Oh, please, Hux, I don’t give a flying fuck what I look like, and neither does anyone else. Everyone is there is listen to your pitch, and if they’re too busy looking at me, then-”

“Perhaps if you weren’t too busy shagging General Organa’s lapdog, then you’d be able to look at a clock and realize you’re late!” He’d gotten in your face, yelling loud enough to wake up the floor. Dane had heard your arguing and come back out, striding over stone-faced.

“Back up,” Dane stepped in front of you, but you shoved him out of the way.

“Sounds like you’re jealous, Hux,” Dane shot you a look, but you ignored him, watching Hux turn purple.

“That’s ridiculous,” He spat, the vein in his forehead straining. “You’d accuse me of harboring feelings that are anything beyond professional-“ He clenched his jaw, so furious that he was unable to form words. “I wouldn’t want you even if you weren’t fresh from another man’s bed. I don’t associate myself with whores.” Dane had him pinned to the wall before you could react. You laughed humorlessly, pacing in front of them as Hux struggled to breathe.

“Apologize,” Dane roared, pressing his forearm deeper into Hux’s throat.

“That’s enough, Dane.” He hesitated, but let him go with a fierce hatred in his eyes. You approached Hux, who was gasping for breath, straightening his collar.

“First of all, I’m here because you asked me to stand with you. If you’re going to stand there and call me a whore, then I’ll wear it like a badge of honor, and I’ll leave you to rot. Second, you may parade me around on your arm like the First Order’s pet, but my allegiance is not to you, and I am free to fuck whoever I want.” You got up close to him, reaching up to grip his chin and bring him down to your eye level. “And if you want my continued support of your campaign, I’d suggest you start groveling.”

“I won’t.” He sneered, grasping your wrist. Dane flinched, but you held up a hand to stop him.

“Fine,” You removed his fingers from your arm, stepping back. “Good luck, then.” You turned back toward your room, pausing at the doorway when Hux finally cracked.

“Wait, I’m sorry,” He choked out, the tendons in his neck straining with the effort of reigning in his fury. “Please, I don’t stand a chance without you.” A wolfish grin spread over your face as Hux mumbled, turning back to face him.

“What was that?” You cupped your hand by your ear. “Speak up.” You commanded, aware of the concerned expression on Dane’s face.

“I’m sorry,” He repeated, eyes downcast. “I need you.” Something cruel and wicked wrenched its talons in your mind, spreading thoughts like ink through your blood. You were aware you were speaking, but it felt like you were in a trance.

“Beg,” You flicked your gaze to the floor, willing him to kneel in front of you. Dane murmured your name, grasping at your shoulder, but you shook him off, entranced with Hux. He swallowed, resentment building in his eyes as he dropped to his knees.

“Please forgive me,” His voice trembled. “Please stand by my side as I rule over the Senate.”

“Hear this, Hux, if you ever disrespect me like that again, this election will be the least of your concerns.” You glared back at him, baring your gaze into his. “Do you understand?” He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Good. Now get out of my sight. I don’t want to see you until the next meeting. You’ll send one of the troopers for me.” You watched him rise, trudging down the hallway to the elevator. A wicked thrill flowed through you, a thrum of excitement at exalting power over someone else. Dane was staring at you with a hard set to his jaw, not speaking.

“Do you have something to say, Dane?”

“Where did that come from?.” He blinked, shaking his head.

“Take me or leave me.” You spat, storming off to your room and slamming the door behind you.


	11. Chaos Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor shows up on Hosnian Prime in your bedroom. How will General Hux react to you after your last encounter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! Hope y'all in the USA had a nice Thanksgiving :) I'm very thankful for all of you! 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy this chapter, I look forward every single week to seeing your comments and responses! 
> 
> Real talk, is anyone else attracted to Darth Maul?! I keep getting these Darth Maul cosplayers on my tiktok FYP and it's REALLY DOIN SOMETHING TO ME. Okay, that is all, pls enjoy <3

You strode directly to the sink, breath coming in heavy gasps as the adrenaline faded away. You splashed cold water in your face, nearly jumping out of your skin when two figures emerged from the shadows.

“We came to wake you this morning, but you were not here.” A cool, airy voice said, one of your attendants appearing in the doorway. The other stood a pace behind her, both of them dressed in orange robes, their faces uncovered today.

“I don’t need your assistance today.” You said firmly, pushing past them to get into your room.

“Master Hux was very specific this time.” The other said, gesturing to a dark blue garment they’d hung on your wardrobe. It had long sleeves, an ornate, sparkling black and gold encrusted belt around the middle, flaring out to the back to sweep the floor, but beneath it, you’d wear black pants, paired with wide-heeled black boots. You felt a little guilty then, for treating Hux the way you had, but it was going to take a lot more than a pair of pants to make up for the horrible things he’d said to you. You almost sent the attendants away anyway, but in the end you let them dress and style you. While they worked, you asked them about themselves, though you learned very little. Their names were Novaethele and Hereanula, part of an enslaved race of people called the Chiss, captured just before the fall of the Old Republic for being allied with the Sith. They would not tell you how long they’d personally been enslaved or how General Hux had managed to become their master.

“Thank you,” You called to Novaethele and Hereanula when they were finished, your hair now gathered in three thick ropes down your back. They had already slipped out the door, another small figure entering with a slight knock. Leia strode over to you, greeting you warmly. Your stomach clenched with the fear that she’d seen your interaction with General Hux, but her face showed nothing but kindness.

“Hux does like to parade you around, doesn’t he?” She gestured to your outfit, squeezing your shoulder gently. “I have good news and bad, both about your blood sample.”

“Go on,” You turned to look at her, eyes wide with anticipation.

“You have an abnormally high midichlorian count in your bloodstream, which is what makes you force-sensitive.” It was clear that this didn’t come as a shock to either of you. “But my contact could not give me an answer as to why you are immune to the Force, nor could he tell me who you are related to, Jedi or otherwise.”

“Isn’t there some sort of database? Some way that I could trace my genealogy back?”

“There was,” She sighed deeply. “In the Old Republic, before the rise of the Empire. My father told me all about the library on Coruscant. He worked in the Senate with my birth mother, but everything was destroyed when Darth Vader turned on the Jedi Council and destroyed the temple.”

“There were no copies made? No backups?” You hadn’t realized how high you’d let your hopes rise.

“Unfortunately not.” She sighed, clasping her hands together in front of her. “I have had spies looking for any information on the Jedi Order for years, ever since my brother and I began training after the fall of the Empire. Of course we will continue our search, and if anything ever comes up, you’ll be the first to know. I promise.” Her eyes crinkled as she smiled, a wave of maternal pride washing over you with a start.

“Thank you,” She nodded, leaving you to look in the mirror at yourself, staring at your features and wondering if any of them had been inherited from a Jedi Knight. A short time later, your door opened again, this time without the courtesy of a knock. It was a stormtrooper. This one was tall, bending down to fit through the doorway. Something felt different about them, some sort of shift in the air that had you reaching for a weapon you didn’t have on you. The trooper stopped in front of you, taking off his helmet and tossing it onto your bed. Vicrul was standing in front of you.

“What are you doing here?” You hissed, stepping backward and almost tripping over the trail of your coat.

“You’re in a lot of trouble with the Commander.” He taunted, his eyes steeling as they swept over you.

“Then why send you?” You shot back, raising your eyebrows.

“You’re in no position to question the Commander’s decisions.” He said with a look of disgust, knuckles white as he curled his hand into a fist at his side. You smirked, crossing the space between you to pinch his cheek.

“Such a good little puppy, doing all of Kylo Ren’s dirty work for him.” Vicrul gripped your wrist so hard you thought your bones might shatter, holding eye contact with his face twisted into a cruel expression. “Does he know that you slipped me that salve I asked for?” The muscles in just jaw feathered, his lips pressing tightly together.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have, you seem to be in one piece.”

“It wasn't for me.” You ripped your arm out of his grasp and grabbed his helmet, holding it out to him. “Better mask up, Vicrul. We have a meeting to attend, and I don’t imagine you’ll be letting me out of your sight.” He smirked arrogantly before slipping the stormtrooper disguise back over his head, still looking sorely out of place.

Hux didn’t so much as glance at you as you walked in, still arriving early even though you’d had to pop your head into several rooms to find the right one. Carise Sindian had been speaking to a group of masked men in one of them, sneering at you when you opened the door. You called her a very vulgar name once the door was shut, and you swore you heard Vicrul snort.

“Who are we speaking with today?” You asked very loudly to announce your arrival, with a bit of a softer tone than usual. Hux ignored you, bringing his journal closer to his face. Vicrul stood near the door like a statue. “Come on, Hux, you’re being childish.”

“Am I?” He threw his journal down on the table before him and stared up at you coldly.

“I won’t apologize for standing up for myself.” You crossed your arms, sizing him up with an equal chill in your tone.

“And I refuse to be humiliated by a mere soldier. You might not be under my rule but you are under my protection, and if you want me to treat you with respect, you have to earn it.”

“And how does this whore earn your respect?” Hux’s nostrils flared, sighing sharply and shaking his head.

“Fine. Let’s just put this behind us, shall we? We’ll be speaking with our allies today and I don’t want them sensing any tension between us.” You rolled your eyes.

“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” You waited ten minutes, twenty, then thirty had passed before Hux stood up, red in the face.

“They’re late!” He exclaimed angrily, marching to the door and looking out into the empty hallway.

“And we all know your policy on tardiness.” You muttered under your breath, sighing. Hux chose not to reply,

“Armitage, there you are! We were beginning to think you weren’t coming!” You heard Senator Sindian saying from outside the room. You got out of your chair, Vicrul putting his hand on his blaster. You made a face at him, sticking your head out the door to see Hux speaking closely with Sindian.

“Since we had to reschedule the meeting, they’ve moved our location.” Several (populist) senators were walking down the hallway, laughing, a Twi’lek servant following at a distance with a carafe of wine.

“Come on, stormtrooper, let’s go.” You sniggered to yourself as Vicrul tilted his head at you, shaking it slowly. Hux and Sindian led you upstairs to a room on the far opposite side of the hall. The energy of the room was different, cruel, almost. Hux whispered to you that these Senators were part of a subgroup called the Centrists, which were all throwing their support toward the First Order and a stronger military presence in the galaxy.

“Welcome, all, I’m General Armitage Hux,” Hux launched into his speech again, met with potent enthusiasm from the crowd. You watched Sindian carefully, grinning at him with a wicked glint in her eye. A pang of worry hit you deep in your core, not for Hux, but for how she could use him, for what plans she would start unfolding with him as her puppet. Hux introduced you to the crowd, a few of them eyeing you with interest.

“Armitage, don’t you think it’s a bit…” But Senator Sindian would never be able to finish her thought. The entire room was rocked with the aftershock from an explosion coming from below. Your body slammed forward, your abdomen hitting the edge of the table in front of you, then falling as the force slingshotted you backward. Hux had been knocked to the floor, shrieks of panic filling the room. You looked around, trying to regain your balance after your head had smacked into the ground.

“Up you go,” Vicrul deadlifted you off the floor and tossed you over his shoulder like a sack of flour, taking off toward the door and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

“Put me down!” You screeched, slamming your fists into his white armor. “Vicrul you let me down this instant!” He finally decided you were squirming too much and stopped, setting you down with ease. You turned back and sprinted for the meeting room, Vicrul ripping off his helmet and yelling your name.

“Get back here, the building could be unstable!”

“Hux is still in there!” You called for him, thick smoke billowing outside the window, blocking the light.

“Forget about him, I have a ship on standby to get you out of here.”

“There’s people in there, Vicrul, we have to help them!” You ran through the doorway and found Hux on his feet, Carise Sindian helping to direct people out.

“Hux, come on!” You called to him, reaching out your hand. He looked at your hand, then up at your face, hesitating for a moment, then took it. You pulled him along, the other senators following suit.

“Vicrul, I thought I made it clear that neither you nor your brothers were welcome here. “ Hux chastised, still holding tightly to your hand. Vicrul shot him a smirk and a shrug, as if to say ‘don’t you know who I work for?’.

“I think the more pressing matter at the moment is who in the hell just bombed the capitol building?” You said over your shoulder, worming your handout of Hux’s grip. Several of the senators were furiously pressing the button for the elevator, speaking in panicked tones. “Hey, idiots, follow us toward the stairs.” You shouted to them as you rolled your eyes. Hux stared at you like you had three heads. He opened his mouth to chastise you, but you rolled your eyes. “Just calling it like it is.” The ever-growing group stopped behind Vicrul as he opened a door to the staircase, a thick plume of black smoke billowing out of it.

“We’re trapped!” One of the senators squeaked, hyperventilating.

“No,” Vicrul smirked, pulling his blaster from his belt and pointing it to the other end of the hall. All of the senators behind him screeched in protest, jumping out of the way just in time for Vicrul to fire. The shot bounced off the glass and ricocheted around the hall, nearly hitting Carise Sindian in the chest. She shot a horrified and offended glance between you, Hux, and Vicrul.

“Are you crazy? The glass has been blaster-proof for longer than any of us have been alive!” She cried, a throbbing vein standing out in the middle of her forehead. Vicrul shrugged half-heartedly, this time raising his arm, revealing the wrist rocket launcher concealed beneath his bulky armor. He pressed a button, a high pitched squeal and subsequent shattering of glass making everyone shut their eyes tightly and cover their ears.

“Nice,” You grinned at Vicrul, grateful for the first time that he was there. You tucked the thought of a wrist rocket launcher for your own armor into the back of your mind. The group of you ran down the hall, Vicrul scooping you up in his arms near the edge of the broken window. You wrapped your legs around his waist, something hard hitting your inner thigh.

“Wow, Vicrul, is that your blaster or are you just happy to see me?” His face became, if possible, even more stony as he shot a grappling hook out of his other wrist, pulling on it as it wrapped itself around a stone light fixture a few feet above them. The air outside was hazy, the warm sun blocked by plumes of smoke.

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll toss you over the ledge.” You sniggered, gasping as he jumped without preparing you first, your stomach ascending into your throat. Vicrul landed in the grass below with a thud, calling to the others above to jump.

“Why can’t you come up here and take us down like you did with her?” Carise Sindian snapped, crossing her arms furiously.

“Oh, just jump. I won’t drop you.” He held out his arms and raised his brows, waiting for someone to make the two story plunge. Hux took a deep breath and fell, Vicrul cradling him in his muscular arms for a moment before setting him gently on the ground. You looked around, realizing you were on the back side of the building, itching to run around to see where the bomb had gone off. Vicrul barked your name as you began wandering away, just as he’d set Carise Sindian rather roughly onto the grass.

“Vicrul, you get the rest of those people out or I’ll tell Kylo Ren that you did throw me out the window.” You threatened, still backing away while everyone stared after you. Vicrul glared at you, but in the end turned back to the group of four senators and their aides still standing in the remnants of broken glass above. You took off, grateful more than ever for the pants Hux had put you in, coughing as you dove into the smoke. You could barely see, heat from a fire on the side of the building licking at your skin, burning holes in your jacket. You took the train of your coat, ripping off the fabric at the end, holding it up over your mouth and nose, attempting to filter some of the smoke. You climbed over giant chunks of broken wall and jagged pieces of furniture, peering into the large hole where the smoke was coming from. Tears swam in your eyes as the smoke ravaged your face, but you climbed inside, seeing several bodies lying still on the floor.

“Senator?” You shook the nearest body, lying face down next to a pile of rubble. They did not stir. With a grunt, you flipped the body over, jumping back with a small scream. It was Senator Garr from Gatalenta, but he was missing half of his skull, bloody bits of brain oozing out onto the ashy floor. “Hello? Is anyone else alive?” You shifted large pieces of brick and steel, burning your hand on one particularly hot beam. You heard a small cry coming from under a particularly large pile of rubble, burning your forearm and coughing as you dug. “I’m coming, don’t worry,” You said between lungfuls of smoke, your vision starting to spot with lack of oxygen. Something shifted above you, a crack forming in the ceiling directly on top of where you were standing. You dug faster, grunting as tears fell thick down your cheeks. Someone grabbed you around the middle just as the ceiling caved in, burying whoever had cried out even more deeply.

“Do you have a death wish?” Vicrul growled, carrying you out of the building one-handed, back to the group of Centrists, alive and well with their feet on the ground.

“Someone’s in there, we have to go back!” You struggled, coughing so hard that you spat up black ash.

“They’re dead.” Vicrul set you down next to him, turning to address the senators. “All of you must follow my instructions very closely. Someone is obviously trying to assassinate senators, so we’ll go round to the front of the capitol building. If I see anything suspicious, you’ll run when I tell you to, you’ll hide if I tell you to, you’ll do what I tell you to. That’s your best chance of staying alive.”

“Who are you to tell me-” Carise Sindian started, but nearly everyone in the group glared at her, including Hux, which made her stop short.

“Stick together, let’s move out.” You opened your mouth to argue about going back for whoever was trapped in the wreckage, but Vicrul silenced you with an icy look. “You will stay up here by me.” You nodded with resolve and took off at a jog next to Vicrul. You slowed as you approached the front entrance, a large crowd gathered outside whispering to each other nervously. Hosnian Prime peacekeeper droids were cordoning off the entrance to the building with several metallic poles about three feet high that emitted a blue laser beam between them. Vicrul pushed through the crowd, most of them clearing the way out of pure intimidation from his menacing stare.

“No one goes in or out, we’re investigating a bombing.” One of the droids barked in its robotic monotone. Before either of you could respond, someone screamed your name, stopping just short of the blue laser beam to reach out and touch your face. The other peacekeeper droid shoved Dane back, repeating their programmed phrase.

“We were in the building when the bombing occurred. I got these senators out just before the second floor collapsed.” The droids peered past Vicrul, focusing on Sindian before apparently identifying her with facial recognition, letting you pass without another word of protest. Dane scooped you up, kissing you hard. You pulled away, a sinking feeling that Vicrul would be reporting every moment he spent with you to Kylo Ren.

“I thought you were dead, I thought you’d been killed.” He kissed you again, spinning you around without a care in the world for the surrounding audience. When he pulled away this time, there was ash on his mouth.

“There are still people in the rubble,” You turned, wrenching yourself from Dane’s grasp, Leia coming to stand in the front of the crowd of senators and government officials in the lobby. “We have to go get them out! I tried, but the ceiling it,” You were crying again, but this time, there was no ash to take the blame. “It-” Dane took you in his arms again, running a hand over your hair and stroking your back.

“Shh, it’s okay, you’re safe now,” You shoved him away from you this time, feeling hysterical.

“NO!” You screamed, the entire room going dead silent. “I don’t want comfort, I want someone to go get those people out!” Leia looked like she was going to reach out, but thought better of it, pulling a folded piece of paper out of her robes.

“I found this on the floor outside in the walkway.” She held it up for all to see. It was a napkin, marked clearly in black ink with the word, ‘Run’. “Someone knew about this. Someone tried to warn us.” Nobody spoke, the silence weighing heavily on your chest. “If anyone knows anything at all, I suggest you come forward immediately.” You caught Vicrul’s gaze, and he nodded very slightly.

“We’ll go look for survivors.” Vicrul announced, motioning to you to follow. Dane grabbed your wrist.

“No, it’s too dangerous.” You glared at him, gearing up to argue. Leia stepped in before you could speak.

“Hosnian Prime has already dispatched a team to check through the rubble for survivors. We are currently missing four senators and their attendants: Senator Drolley, Senator Gillen, Senator Jebel, and Senator Garr.”

“Senator Garr is dead.” Your voice trembled as you spoke. “I saw him, he was-” You shook your head, the memory of the gore catching your breath in your throat. “But I heard someone in there, before the ceiling fell in,” The crowd around broke out in whispers.

“If anyone,” Leia swallowed hard, her voice breaking. “If anyone knows anything at all, I implore you to come forward. For the families and home planets of these brave-” A shot rang out, glass shattering from somewhere. It seemed there was now a sniper shooting at the crowd of senators in the lobby. It quickly became mass chaos, both Dane and Vicrul made a mad grab for you, but Vicrul snatched you up first.

“I’ve had about enough of this death trap of a planet. We’re leaving.” Vicrul spat, his arm tightly around your shoulder, leading you through the maze of panicking bodies.

“It’s fine, Dane, just leave me be!” You called over your shoulder as Dane attempted to follow. Though Dane was a great warrior in his own right, you had the sinking feeling that Vicrul would probably snap his neck given half a chance. Your stomach churned at the thought of them alone together. You didn’t miss the look of hurt on Dane’s face as he was swallowed by the crowd, but better hurt than dead. “What about Hux?” You said to Vicrul as he flung open a hidden door behind the lobby desk. The staff were nowhere to be found.

“He’ll find his way back.” The room you stepped into was pitch black, and Vicrul hurriedly shut and locked the door behind you. He pressed a button and the room flooded with an ominous red light, illuminating a sleek, black tie fighter in the middle of a small hangar.  
“Vicrul, you can’t expect me to just run, I have to make sure everyone gets out.”

“If you don’t get in voluntarily I’m happy to sedate you.” You narrowed your eyes, assessing whether or not he was bluffing. Considering he’d already done it once, you sighed and climbed up the waiting ramp and into the passenger seat. It was already cramped, and with Vicrul being built like a tree, you expected the ride to be quite uncomfortable.

“Wise choice.” He commented as he clambered in beside you, closing the ramp and starting up the ship. A thousand buttons glittered to life with blues and reds and greens. Flying had never been your specialty. “This was supposed to be a delivery depot, but with enough credits nobody asks questions.” A hatch above opened to the midday sun, still slightly hazy with the pillowing smoke. The ship shot up into the air, giving you barely any time to glance back down at the ground to wonder whether or not your friends had made it out safely.

The flight home was silent, giving you plenty of time to imagine Leia and Dane being struck dead by the sniper, bleeding out on the floor. You even imagined Hux lying there defenseless, or stepping in front of a blaster for Carise Sindian. Every time you closed your eyes to sleep, to try to pass the time until you were back on the Finalizer, all you could see was Senator Garr’s blood seeping out of his broken skull. You were also going to have to answer to Kylo Ren when you were back; the thought made you slump over with exhaustion. You must have dozed off, because when Vicrul shook you awake, you had landed in the main hangar of the Finalizer.

“Go get yourself cleaned up, I’m to report off to the Commander, and then Trudgen will bring you to see him.”

“And why do I need to look nice for Kylo Ren?” You sneered, though you knew your skin was caked with ash.

“Just do it,” Vicrul nodded at Trudgen, who led you with a hard grip on your shoulder toward your room. You ran the tap in the bathroom, sinking into the hot water with a sigh of relief. After five minutes of scrubbing, the water came away gray and murky. A few minutes later, you heard the door to your bedroom open and footsteps sounded, stopping outside your bathroom.

“The Commander is ready for you.” Trudgen’s deep growl echoed around the bathroom. You stood, letting the water fall off your naked body while Trudgen stared, gaze penetrating even from under the mask.

“What’s wrong, Trudgen?” You crooned, wringing out your hair with a towel from the golden hanger on the left side of the tub. “Never seen a pair of tits in real life?” He tightened his fist at his side, and strode back out the door, snapping at you to hurry up. You left your hair hanging wet and dripping, an all black ensemble with stretchy pants and a long-sleeve top. You tied your flat black boots and met Trudgen outside, smirking at him as he led you down the hallway toward Kylo Ren’s quarters. Your heart picked up in your chest, a sense of foreboding increasing with every step. Vicrul was standing outside Ren’s door, his normal armor and helmet back in place. Trudgen nodded at him and Vicrul ushered you inside without a word. You stepped into the antechamber, a vivid memory surfacing in your head: you pinned beneath Kylo Ren while he slipped his gloved fingers inside you for the first time. But he wasn’t here, no, Vicrul led you through the eastern door, shutting it behind you as soon as you’d stepped inside. It was a large space, minimalistic and grayscale. Your eyes swept past the large bed on the right-hand wall and straight to the back of the room. Kylo Ren was lounging arrogantly on a make-shift throne, a high-backed matte black chair, maskless. Your breath caught in your throat, heart hammering, as he beckoned you forward.


	12. Mr. Ren Will See You Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've betrayed Kylo Ren's orders and now you must pay the price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is my favorite chapter so far! As I was writing the first part, I thought to myself, 'is this legal?' so, you know it's gotta be good. I want to give a HUGE shoutout to kassanovella and her fic Fix Your Attitude, which was basically my awakening to my Kylo obsession. She directly inspired me to write this fic, and more specifically some of the things in this chapter ;) Love her, highly recommend anything she's written if you haven't heard of her yet! 
> 
> THANK YOU for continuing to read and support my work, it means the world! I've got a couple of songs for ya to listen to while you read. 
> 
> #1: I'm a Slave 4 U (slowed) by Britney Spears https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCElhoYUvJE - go ahead and start this one right away!
> 
> #2: Toxic by 2Wei https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL7IRngzIdk (start at the asterisk * !)

Your knee almost buckled on your next step, but you held your chin high as you approached him, his gaze heavy over your body. You stopped several feet away from him, biting down hard on the inside of your cheek to keep you grounded, to keep your nerve as he assessed you, not speaking. Finally, he raised a gloved hand to his face, resting his chin on his fist.

“Explain,” His tone was short, sharp, icy fear crawling up your veins. You didn’t like the flicker of violence in his eyes.

“Explain what?” You retorted, squeezing your hands into fists, your nails digging into your palms. How much did he know about Dane? How much had Vicrul been able to find out? After all, you had no idea how long he’d actually been there on Hosnian Prime. If you’d thought Vicrul and Dane being together would be dangerous, Ren being alone with him would be absolutely lethal.

“You left without my permission.” His voice was predatorial and steady, as though each word were a strike of his lightsaber against you.

“And suddenly I’m your property?” You spat, anger rising steadily in your chest. “All of this was General Hux’s plan, I had no idea he was going to-” Ren stood up abruptly, your words catching in the back of your throat.

“I’ll deal with Hux later, we’re talking about you.” He liked watching you squirm, so you refused to oblige him. You stared unflinching as he stalked toward you, tilting his head down so your noses were just inches away from each other. “I think I’ll need to punish you.” All of your muscles stiffened.

“What do you have in mind?” A muscle in his jaw twitched, hatred burning deep in his dark eyes. But then he smirked, bringing his gloved finger up to trace your bottom lip.

“Maybe I’ll just send you back to your room with nothing, maybe that’s the best punishment for a slut,” You felt the fury rising, your lip trembling beneath his finger. “Oh, hits a nerve, does it?” He shot you a cruel half-smile, bringing his whole hand down to your jaw, your throat, then trailing along your collarbone.

“I don’t want anything from you.”

“This song and dance again? Don’t you ever grow tired of the lies?” He’d leaned in close, his cool breath tickling your ear. “I don’t need to read your mind to prove to you how much you want me.” You ripped yourself away from him, face twisting in anger.

“I. don’t. want. you.” You repeated, accentuating each word as its own syllable. “If I want some release, I’ll just ask Dane. He was very happy to oblige.” You knew at once you’d said the wrong thing. By the look on Kylo Ren’s face, Dane’s life was in danger.

“You let him touch you?” His face was becoming very red, speaking through clenched teeth.

“Oh, he did a lot more than touch me.” You enjoyed the look on Ren’s face too much to think very far into the consequences of this speech you were making. “He took me out, then we went back to his room, he undressed me,” You started circling him, like he’d done to you many times. “He took his time on me, got me really, really wet before he fucked-” He grabbed you by the throat, lifting you off the ground with a loud gag. He carried you over to his bed, throwing you on it with murder on his face.

“I don’t like other people’s hands on what’s mine.” He growled as he climbed on top of you. You were still trying to catch your breath when his hand was back around your throat, squeezing so hard you saw stars.

“You don’t own me.” You gasped out as your brain screamed for oxygen. He pinned your arms to your sides with his knees and finally let up, reaching behind you to the sleek black headboard, pulling something from either side. “What are you doing?” You whispered, breathing heavily as your heart accelerated. He freed one arm, strapping your wrist into a cuff attached to a chain, then the other, wrists crossed. You pulled, but to no avail, the chains were locked onto his bed frame.

“You’re mine.” He backed off of you to stand at the foot of the bed, watching you struggle with a wicked smile. He held your ankles as he came near again, seemingly worried you might kick him upside the head. Your breath was ragged, the unwavering eye contact awakening something feral inside both of you; you stopped thrashing around as he pulled the waistband of your pants down your legs, the warm leather grazing at your thighs. He tossed your pants behind him, bringing his hand to his own mouth, biting onto the middle finger of his glove as he slipped it off his hand. His gaze on you was mesmerizing, your lips parting, legs already trembling with anticipation. He put one knee on the bed, pushing your knees apart with the slightest touch. When his bare fingers made contact with your aching core, you gasped under your breath, squeezing your eyes shut.

“The Resistance’s spy,” He crooned, teasing you with feather light touches. “But the Commander’s slut.” He shoved two large fingers inside you with no warning, causing you to cry out loudly, pulling hard against your bonds. “Hush.” He ordered as the sharp pain subsided slowly into pleasure. You dug your heels into the bed, pulling up on the chains so violently that he climbed fully into the bed, cutting off your airway again with his hand. “Be quiet.” He slapped you, the stinging in your cheek making you cry out again, real tears forming in your eyes. There was no way out of this. And the worst part was, you didn’t know if you wanted to get out of it. He ripped the leather glove off his other hand, balling it up and shoving it in your mouth. “That’s better,” He hovered his face between your legs, watching tears slip helplessly down your cheeks. “Crocodile tears.” He spat directly on your clit, your entire body clenching as he circled the sensitive spot, your moans muffled by the makeshift gag. He pulled away abruptly, taking his lightsaber from belt, looking from the hilt to you with a contemplative expression. Raw, unfiltered fear entered you then, would he really kill you here? Like this? You thought about begging for your life, to try and talk some sense into him, but the mere thought of it was humiliating. You were not General Hux.

“Stay still.” He wrenched your legs apart and held them steady, igniting the saber and holding it above you with an evil sort of wonder on his face. So here it was, your last few heavy breaths, this was the end. You clenched your jaw tightly, closing your eyes, waiting for the pain. Your skin broke out into a sweat as the white-hot blade came nearer and nearer, but a different sensation came over you, a subtle vibration between your legs. You opened your eyes, shifting uncomfortably when all you could see was a crackling red blade.

“If you move, you die. Behave,” He purred, moving the hilt of the lightsaber up and down your clit. You wanted so desperately to squirm, the heat bearing down on your skin was uncomfortable, but it had nothing on the waves of pleasure emanating from the nerves between your thighs. A gutteral noise came from the back of your throat as he slipped a finger inside of you, expertly tapping at your G-spot on the first try. “Good girl,” He murmured, watching your manacled hands grip at the blankets so hard your hands started to hurt, but there was no other way to release. He brought you so close to orgasm that you nearly bucked your hips straight into the blade, but the heat instantly disappeared. Your skin still felt hot and raw, seared and marked with pink along the tops of each thigh. He grabbed your hips and flipped you over effortlessly, pulling you up onto your knees. You realized it then, flinching as he ran his hand over your ass, smacking it with brutal force. This was one of his fantasies, one of the things you’d seen when you unintentionally delved deep into Ren’s thoughts. But an overwhelming need was taking you over; you wanted him inside you, you wanted him to feel you tighten around him as he pounded against your cervix, the pain a mere afterthought of the pleasure. Your back arched as he spanked you again, muttering a curse under his breath as he unzipped his cock from his pants. He leaned over you then, his rock hard member pressing against your lower back. You shuddered.

“I’m going to fuck your little cunt so hard you won’t remember any other name but mine.” You whimpered, nodding, saliva dripping from your mouth as you stared down at the gray comforter, twisted in disarray. “Spit it out,” His cock twitched against you. “I want the whole ship to hear you scream.” You worked the glove out with your tongue, dropping it on the bed with a fervent groan. He left you waiting, wanting for entirely too many rapid heartbeats, repositioning your knees further apart for him.

“What are you waiting for?” You moaned, looking back over your shoulder to find him stroking his cock to the mere sight of you. He brought his hand down hard on your ass again, then a second, and a third time until you flinched at the stinging of your raw skin.

“Tell me who this pussy belongs to.” You gripped at the chains, anger and desire battling for dominance in your veins.

“Fuck you,” You spat, wincing as he slapped the raw skin again.

“You want me to fuck you?” He pressed the tip of his cock at your entrance and your legs buckled. “Then you tell me who you belong to.” He pulled away as you leaned back, trying to press yourself into him, to get some semblance of release. The tension was fogging your thoughts, making you consider the humiliation. “Well?” He ran a finger from your slit to your clit, lingering there with such gentle touches that your lust started roaring in your mind, spilling out of your lips before you could stop it.

“It’s yours, Kylo,” You breathed, your chest heaving, face heating with embarrassment.

“What’s mine?” He moaned your name so seductively that you thought you might cum from the sound alone.

“Everything.” He chuckled sadistically and slammed into you, not waiting for your body to adjust to his size and girth before thrusting at a pace that had your chest falling forward onto the blankets, crying out into the mattress. He gripped your hip with one hand, reaching down to tug on the ends of your hair with the other. The guttural grunts and growls from Kylo’s throat filled the room, getting louder and more frequent as you tightened around his cock.

“You take this cock, filthy slut,” He pulled back on your hair so hard you wrenched your neck back, your moans joining his. “That’s right,” His skin slapped hard against yours. “I want the entire ship to know who owns you.” He continued pounding into you at such a pace that the pressure inside built to discomfort, black spots dancing in your vision.

“Kylo, I-” Your vision went white for a split second, your insides contracting and releasing around him so furiously that you heard him curse. The orgasm was so intense that your legs trembled violently, the sounds coming out of you both unintelligible and uncontrollable. You’d never experienced anything like this before, not with Dane, not even by yourself.

“Who do you belong to, bitch?” Kylo growled, releasing your hair to grab your hips in both hands as he thrusted even faster.

“Kylo!” You called, still not quite down from your orgasm. “Kylo,” You grunted as you felt him cum deep inside you, pulling out with a last ragged moan. He unlocked the leather cuffs on your wrist with a wave of his hand and you heard a swish of clothing being put back in its place. When finally had the resolve to turn around, he had gone from the room.

Sore and deeply ashamed, you collected your pants, Kylo’s seed spilling down the sides of your thighs. You needed to get back in the bath immediately. You were walking like a newborn fawn, your face heating even further when you opened the door to find Vicrul standing on the other side. You could sense his smirk from under the mask.

“Don’t you dare say one word.” You warned him, waddling away from him as he sniggered loudly. “Vicrul, I’m warning you,” You turned a corner in the hallway, running headlong into General Hux.

“Ah, I see you’ve made it-” His eyes widened, brows raised with shock. “What the hell has he done to you?” You supposed your appearance was disastrous, burns on your skin, cuts on both your wrists, handprints on your cheek, let alone what was under your clothes. You opened your mouth to explain, but Vicrul spoke first.

“The commander is most displeased with you.” He began, gripping the back of your neck with uncomfortable force to tilt your head, more blooming bruises forming on your neck. At this point your neck had been marked more than it hadn’t since you stepped foot on the Finalizer. You shot a dirty look at Vicrul, who smiled cruelly. “He has taken out his punishment on the liaison, with a warning if you betray his trust a second time, she won’t live to see her next day.”

“Hux, don’t listen to him. Kylo Ren doesn’t have the balls to kill me.” But the heavy footsteps echoing down the hall made you stiffen, Ren’s intimidating drawl taking all the air from the room.

“Hux,” He’d put his mask back on, you could hear it in the mechanical manipulation sound, but you refused to turn around to look at him. “Come with me.” Hux glanced at you, mistaking the hitch in your breath as fear.

“Ren,” He said fiercely, “I am frankly disgusted with your actions here today. You know as well as I that our liaison is vital to the First Order, to lay hands on her proves an absolute lack of respect for our Supreme Leader-” Ren froze him in place with the force, holding him there lazily.

“I assure you the Supreme Leader would approve. I answer to him alone, Hux,” He held him there for a long moment, his chest suddenly heaving, something shifting below his waist. His helmet shot in your direction before he dropped his hold, stalking off rather quickly without another word. Hux grabbed his head, muttering furiously under his breath about Ren digging through his memories. He dusted off his shirt and looked back to you, concern that you didn’t deserve in his gaze.

“Perhaps we should send you back to General Organa.” You bristled, looking out of the corner of your eye to the hall Ren had just disappeared down, ensuring he didn’t return.

“Be grateful that I took the beating meant for you, Hux.” You spat, watching his temper flare in his eyes.

“I didn’t ask for you to do anything for me. You should be grateful that I’m looking out for you after your little display the other day.”

“She went back for you. After the bombing, I told her to leave you, but she went back for your sorry ass.” Your eyes widened as Vicrul got in front of you, grabbing Hux by the collar and furiously defending your honor. Hux was going purple in the face.

“Let me go at once!” Hux spat through clenched teeth, and you pawed at Vicrul’s sleeve. “Speak to me that way again and I’ll see to it that you’re disciplined.”

“Vicrul,” You murmured, pulling at him again. “Come on,” He let go and sighed sharply, pulling at you rather gruffly to take you back to your room.

Vicrul dropped you off at your door and Ap’lek took his place almost immediately, leaving you with many unanswered questions. You took your second bath of the day, trying with immense difficulty not to think about anything that had happened in the last several hours. A feeling of deep relaxation came over you very suddenly, like the air was dosed with a sedative. Lying back in the warm water, steam billowing around you, your mind emptied of all anxieties, of all thoughts. You focused on breathing in, breathing out, closing your eyes and letting blossoming colors dance behind them. A terrifying face sneered at you for a moment, everything black and red, then a scene came into focus, almost as though you were dreaming. You looked at the two figures as an observer from above, everything muffled like you were underwater.

_“How could you?” It was Dane, furious tears streaming down his cheeks, speaking to someone whose face was very blurry behind a wall of bars. “You were supposed to take him down, not join him.” A choked sound came from the blurry figure, she sounded so familiar._

__

__

_“I was trying to keep everyone safe, you don’t understand!” She cried, grabbing the bars of what had to be a cell. You didn’t understand, those were your fingers, that sounded like your voice, but how did you get here? “Every single person in power is corrupt, and that includes Leia! She-”_

__

__

_“Don’t feed me your lies and excuses. I saw you with him, I see it in your eyes even now.” Something in his face broke you. “I loved you,” Dane whispered your name, and it was unmistakable, your own face came into focus. “Even now, I love you, and you chose him. After everything.”_

__

__

The scene swirled away, a devastating scream echoing in your head. As you came back to the room, back to the bathwater that had gone lukewarm, you gasped for air. Your heart was pounding in your chest, a deep dread settling over you. You were on the Finalizer, Dane was not here, he didn’t know about Kylo Ren, it was a dream.

*“I felt you,” A deep voice made you jump out of your skin, the water in your bath splashing over the edge as you sat forward. Kylo Ren was standing in the doorway, unmasked, his hair hanging softly at his shoulders, eyes so full of wonder that they almost seemed gentle.

“Get out,” You felt his gaze travel down your face, pausing at your lips, your marked throat, your bare chest.

“I think I understand it now,” He strode into the room, your breathing coming more quickly, something pulsing between your legs. “The pull we feel toward one another.” He sat on the edge of the tub, his finger dipping into the water, but only just on the surface. He made no move to touch you.

“Don’t.” Your voice broke, the only image in your head being Dane’s broken face.

“We both come from darkness, it’s in our blood.” He continued on, his gaze penetrating on yours. “We were both failed by the people who were supposed to make us feel safe. We’re two sides of the same coin, you and I.”

“No,” Your bottom lip trembled with anger, with fear that it was true.

“Did it feel good, watching Hux submit to you?” His breath hitched, the look in his eyes flickering with desire. You tore your gaze away from him, a deep shame lighting up your core. Because yes, it had felt good. Better than good. “The look on your face was…” He breathed deeply. “Intoxicating.” The air in the room was becoming too thick to breathe, so full of tension that your chest was being crushed by it.

“I don’t want this,” Your eyes were brimming with tears, your voice trembling along with your hands. “I don’t want to be connected to you.” His nostrils flared at your words, a muscle in his jaw clenching, but he didn’t speak. “Why is this happening?” He stood up, pacing the length of the bathroom before returning to the tub, holding out a pale hand to you. You took it, water dripping from your body as the cold air made your nipples peak.

“Like calls to like.” His tone had its sharp edge back as he backed you against the wall, the metal panels icy against your bare skin. “Leia must have told you that you have a force sensitive ancestor, but did she tell you who?”

“All of the records were lost when the Jedi Temple was destroyed.” You looked at him quizzically. There was no way that he could have answers for you, this was another trick. He laughed humorlessly.

“Even if the temple still stood today you wouldn’t find what you’re looking for there.” He sneered, as though the mere mention of the Jedi was a personal offense. “They would never be able to obtain the records of the Sith.”

“The Sith?” You whispered, unsure if your body was shivering from cold or fear. He brought his hand to your neck, tracing the lines of the bruises he’d made on you with no trace of apology.

“The Supreme Leader has knowledge that others do not.” His gaze flicked back to yours. “And so he’s passed it along to me.”

“You’re bluffing.” You spat, narrowing your eyes. He twirled a tendril of your wet hair around his finger, tugging on it slightly.

“Am I?” Your eyes dropped to his full lips as he spoke, a viscous fight happening inside your head; light versus dark, duty versus lust. “I can tell you everything.” You swallowed hard. “I can tell you where you come from.” He leaned in very close to you, so close that his cool breath hit your lips.

“I don’t believe you.” The words left your lips, but they weren’t quite true. And it was obvious he didn’t need to be able to look into your mind to know you were lying.

“I can tell you about your mother, about her mother before her, about the great unions that paved the way to create you.” Now he’d hit a sore subject, your temper flaring.

“You don’t know anything about my mother.” He grabbed your wrists as you tried to shove him out of the way, holding you back as you continued to struggle against him.

“I’m willing to give you time to think.” He pushed you harder against the wall, his lips brushing your ear. “But heed my warning: they won’t tell you the truth, even if they knew they wouldn’t tell you. But I won’t lie to you.” And he left you there, naked and trembling, weighing in your mind what the price of the truth would be. But perhaps more importantly, whether or not you’d be willing to pay it.


	13. The Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are given what is supposedly a very important piece of information for the Resistance, but who would help you? And most importantly, why? Several members of the Senate arrive on the Finalizer for an emergency summit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So excited to get this out to you! I always have so much fun coming up with fun ways to have men fight over us :) We've gotten over 2k hits and almost 100 kudos, I'm LITERALLY EXPLODING WITH JOY. THANK YOU. I wish I could hug each and every one of you. 
> 
> No real song recs this time, but if you wanted to play God Is a Woman by Ariana Grande about midway through the chapter when we're making a certain entrance into a certain party, that's the song I used to write the scene. ;) 
> 
> Also, I'm going to be taking a hiatus next week, so there will be no chapter uploaded next Tuesday, 12/22. My work schedule is insane this next week, I work 12 hour night shifts and only have 2 nights off in the next 7 days. Sorry about that! Chapter 14 will be up 12/29 (the day after my birthday!).

You spent your next few days almost exclusively in the training room with the Knights, sparring, mostly getting knocked on your ass. You didn’t see Vicrul nor Kylo Ren, and you didn’t ask the others about them. At this point, you were trying to keep yourself occupied at every possible moment, trying not to think about anything except brutal attack strategies, and the Knights were very skilled. Trudgen had already taught you several maneuvers that aided you in your first defeat of Ap’lek. As you held the point of your metal spear to his throat, a slow clap came from the side of the mat. You dropped your weapon, offering a hand to Ap’lek, who refused, muttering irritatedly that you had cheated.

“I forget sometimes, how barbaric you can be.” General Hux was standing at the edge of the mat, watching you with a teasing smile playing over his lips.

“I’m happy to remind you anytime.” You winked at him, hopping down off the mat to stand before him, watching him swallow hard.

“Take a walk with me?” He clasped his hands behind his back as you nodded, following just a step behind him as he turned right out of the training room. You made a mental map as you went, waiting for Hux to speak, hearing Ap’lek trail just a few paces behind. You reached a large window that spanned the length of a hallway, looking out into the twinkling stars of space. Hux paused, looking out with a peculiar expression on his face, not quite as pinched as it usually was.

“I have invited all of the senators to take refuge on the Finalizer, to stay for an emergency meeting.” He announced, not looking over to see you reaction. You blinked, processing the fact that Dane could be on the ship soon, in the same vicinity as Kylo Ren.

“When?” You asked in an uncharacteristically small voice. He glanced over at you then; you knew you’d gone pale, lost your vigor.

“In three days time, five or six centrist delegations will arrive. The rest have refused to come in person and will attend the summit virtually. They seem to think that we were involved in one or both of the attacks.” You breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps Leia would also be attending virtually.

“Were you involved?” You asked honestly, raising your eyebrows. Hux gave you a long, incandescent stare, so intense that it made you take a step back.

“What do I have to do to prove that the First Order is not your enemy?”

“You didn’t answer my question.” You said pointedly, averting your eyes back to the window, touching the glass and feeling it icy against the pads of your fingers.

“No,” He sounded colder now, formal once more. “I had nothing to do with it. I’m trying to win over my opposition’s trust, not kill them off.” You huffed out a laugh, taking in his side profile.

“Sometimes I think you have too much of a moral compass to work for this organization.” You admitted, watching him look at you with wide eyes, hands tightening over each other behind him.

“I think you know very little about me.” He seemed almost ashamed, swallowing hard.

“I guess you did call me a whore.” You elbowed him, cracking a teasing smile, even sniggering a little. He shook his head at you, but even he couldn’t keep the sternness on his face for long. “Will Leia be coming to the meeting in person?” You asked, your stomach twisting in knots again.

“She hasn’t responded yet. I was going to ask you to reach out to her to get her reply. I have quite an important proposal for her. And you, I suppose.”

“What is it?” Your mind was only half there with Hux in the moment, the other part of you desperately wishing for some excuse to make Dane stay far away from the Finalizer.

“All in due time. I’m hoping you can get me her reply by tomorrow?” You hesitated for a moment, fear dropping your stomach down into your toes.

“Sure,” A dark feeling crept over you as Ap’lek escorted you back to your room that Dane would never listen, he would never stay away, not even if you told him the truth. Especially if you told him the truth.

You lay awake that night staring at your communicator on your nightstand, sleepless and anxious, Dane’s death at Kylo’s hands playing on loop in your mind. You sighed, sitting up in bed and rubbing your eyes vigorously, wishing you could claw out all the thoughts in your brain. There was a soft knock on the wall that made you straighten to attention, looking around on alert. It came again, just barely audible. You jumped out of bed, pressing your ear in disbelief against the moveable panel in your wall, rapping your knuckles quietly against the wall again, your eyes widening as you heard a knocking in reply. You glanced back at the door, to where one of the knights was stationed outside, but everything was silent. You slid open the panel inch by inch, trying not to make too much noise, and was face to face with a stormtrooper. They pulled off their helmet, revealing the girl that had been your guard before Kylo had stuck his knights on you. Hazel eyes shone bright with fear, mousy brown hair pulled into a messy braid.

“Take this,” She shoved something into your hand, some sort of storage drive. “Give it to your people.” She looked over her shoulder, her hands trembling.

“What is it?” You turned it over in your hand, then looked back to her. “Who are you?”

“A friend,” She smiled warmly, but it faded as footsteps sounded in the distance. “I’ve got to go!” She motioned for you to close the panel and then replaced her helmet. The footsteps were getting louder.

“Wait,” You called, but she had already started quickly away. You shut the panel, jumping back in your bed, clutching the drive to your chest just in time. The door to your room slid open, one of the Knights stepping inside to check on you. You made your breathing deep and even, eyes closed and body still. He must have been satisfied, because he stepped out again, leaving you alone in the dark. You sat up, grabbing your communicator and plugging in the drive, transferring the information to Leia with a short recorded message.

“I’m not sure what is on this device, but I’ve been told to get it to you from a… well, a trusted source.” You whispered, keeping one eye on the door as you spoke. “Please get into contact with me as soon as you receive this.” You climbed out of bed, taking the drive, sleek, black, and no larger than your thumb, and tucking it into your boot. You’d sewn a pocket into the side for a small knife, but the drive would be a perfect fit. Sliding back under the sheets, you returned to your tossing and turning, a new anxiety mounting inside of you now: who was the girl, why did she help you, and what the hell was on that drive?

You’d finally closed your eyes and fallen into an uneasy sleep when a subtle vibrating from your bedside table had your bleary eyes fluttering open. You grabbed your communicator, stretching and yawning as you answered the comm, a small hologram of Leia appearing on the small disc.

“Where did you get this?” She asked, brows raised nearly up to her hairline. “How did you get this?”

“I-I, well, it’s funny actually,” You stuttered, trying to find a better explanation than ‘someone gave it to me and I sent it to you without question’.

“If this is true…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “This is the single most vital piece of information we’ve ever encountered to our theory. You’ve done it, I don’t know how you managed to take this and live to tell me about it, but you’ve done it!”

“I don’t understand. What was on that drive?” You lowered your voice to a whisper, peeking over at the door.

“I’ll have Dane tell you when he arrives tomorrow afternoon for the Senate meeting.” You felt all of the blood drain from your face, your stomach twisting itself into knots. “I can’t guarantee the absolute security of this connection.”

“Please don’t send him, Leia, I’m begging you.” You whispered, your hand balling into a fist. Leia’s brows knit together in confusion.

“I thought you would be pleased.” Just then, someone caught her attention behind her and she turned, answering incoherently. “Sorry,” She turned back to you. “I’ve got to go. Cheer up, I’m not able to come myself. Theres, some, ah, business on D’Qar that requires my direct attention, so Dane will have to do. You’re doing great, I sincerely appreciate you.” With that, she disconnected, leaving you feeling worse than ever. You threw your communicator back onto the bed, dressing in all black, pulling on the boots with the drive in the secret pocket.

“Cardo,” You greeted the Knight when you opened the door, who nodded curtly at you. “Take me to Hux.” You heard him sigh from behind the mask, not thrilled to take orders from you, but began walking nonetheless. Hux was taking a report from a duo of stormtrooper squadron leaders, dismissing them once he saw you coming over.

“How can I help you?” He dipped his head toward you in greeting, Cardo standing a few paces behind, close enough to hear everything you were saying. No doubt to be able to report the conversation off to his master.

“Leia will be sending Dane as her representative.” Hux looked as though he smelled something sour, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come. “She has some matter at home that requires her direct attention.” You looked away, fiddling with a loose string on your shirt.

“Very well,” He replied, staring at you expectantly.

“I was wondering if you knew where Vicrul was?” You asked in a very small voice, hoping he would be wherever Kylo was.

“Vicrul is off on an important mission with Commander Ren.”

“And when will they return?”

“They are not expected for another week.” All of your stress faded instantly from your body. “Surely the other Knights can provide you anything you need?” He raised an eyebrow at you.

“Yes, you’re right.” You nearly skipped back to Cardo; Dane’s life was safe for now. As quickly as the stress had faded, though, another dark cloud hung heavily over you: you’d have to break it off. If you wanted him to live, you’d have to stop it before it started.

You stood in the main hangar awaiting Dane’s arrival the next afternoon, dread creeping up in your throat like bile, trying to keep your nerve. You watched his ship approach, breach the landing strip, and touch down smoothly. Your heart beat was erratic in your chest as you felt Hux step up beside you, touching your shoulder lightly as if he sensed your unease. You held your chin higher, watching Dane walk through the steam, seeing the huge smile break out onto his face when he saw you, the way he jogged over to you. He ignored Hux completely as he wrapped you in his huge arms, picking you up off the floor.

“Happy to see you in one piece,” He grinned, brown eyes sparkling, then turning to Hux with a much cooler demeanor. “General,” Dane put a hand on the small of your back to lead you forward toward the ship. “Come on, I’ve got something for you on the ship.” Ushar fell into step behind you, causing Dane to raise his eyebrows at you. “Who’s the creep in the mask?” He asked, and you couldn’t help but snort.

“Ushar,” You saw his knuckles white on the club he held, could practically see the snarl on his face under the mask. “We have some Resistance business to discuss. You’ll wait out here.” He didn’t look like he’d back down.

“Ushar,” Hux warned, starting toward the Knight.

“If you even think-” Ushar growled, holding up his finger to you.

“If I try to escape you can jump into literally any one of these TIE fighters and chase me down. I’m not trying to run off, you won’t be in trouble with your daddy Kylo Ren.” You thought it took very great restraint on Ushar’s part not to bash in your head with his club, and for that you were impressed. When you got on the ship, unaccompanied, Dane was shaking his head at you.

“What?” His aura was infectious, you couldn’t help but grin back at him. A warm feeling in your chest was rising quickly against the dread, and soon it would gain so much ground that you didn’t know if you’d be able to do what needed to be done.

“How has nobody killed you yet?” He teased, turning to face you and tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“All of the attempts have failed so far.” He put his hands on your hips and guided you back toward the wall of the ship, leaning down to press his lips to yours, softly at first, then, pulling you into him, grazed your bottom lip with his teeth. You melted into him like a moth drawn to a flame, like he had his own gravity.

“Okay, okay,” You forced yourself to pull away as his hands slipped under your shirt. “We’ve got a limited amount of time before Ushar barges in here and makes sure his precious cargo is still alive and well. So, tell me about what was on this drive.” He lingered over you for a moment, but pulled himself together, turning to pace away from you.

“I want to reiterate what I said before: I don’t understand how you haven’t been killed. The information you gave us is… astronomical. It’s a huge win for the Resistance.”

“Leia gave me all the cryptic congratulations yesterday, what the hell was this information?” You urged, impatient. He leaned up against one of the brown leather booths built into the side of the ship.

“We’ve always known that the First Order has had these secret labs, most of them leftover from the downfall of the Empire, and we’ve speculated at all of the illegal shit they’ve been doing there.” He folded his arms over his broad chest, his biceps flexing. “What you gave us is direct evidence of one of our theories, the one we had thought was most outlandish of all.”

“Spit it out, Dane,”

“Alright, alright. The First Order, and the Empire before them, is experimenting with anyone they can find that is Force-sensitive. They’re trying to create soldiers with the ability to use the Force. Think the clone army created on Kamino during the Clone Wars, except they are all basically Jedi trained to fight for the enemy.” The weight of the information crashed into you, the realization of why the First Order was trying so hard to keep you around. This was why Kylo Ren kept such a short leash on you, why his Knights watched your every move. A part of you, perhaps larger than you were willing to admit, was stinging with disappointment that you weren’t some personal obsession for Kylo Ren. You were little more than a job, a mission, an object to protect for a higher purpose.

“Are you alright?” Dane brought you out of your thoughts, suddenly right in front of you.

“I’m fine.” You shook off his steadying hand, shame burning in your chest up through your face. “Just scary to imagine going up against an army of… of,” Of people just like you. You couldn’t admit to him that you could manipulate the Force, well, on occasion.

“Well, it doesn’t look like they’ve been very successful anyway. We’ve got hundreds of records of failed attempts. They do have a girl they’re watching pretty closely right now, some descendant of a really powerful Force user. Those files are a lot harder to crack completely, though. Leia’s got people on it.” You swallowed hard. You knew deep down exactly who that girl was, and Kylo’s last warning: ‘They wouldn’t tell you, even if they knew’. You looked up, searching Dane’s eyes for any trace of deceit, for any reason to believe he knew more than he was letting on.

“Let me know about this girl when you find out more. We can’t let them take her.” He nodded, missing the dull terror that had nested itself in your eyes.

You gasped in surprise when, a few hours later, Novaethele and Hereanula made an appearance in your bedroom, holding a black garment bag and a tool kit of hair and makeup products.

“What are you doing here?” You were stuck halfway between being glad they had made it out of Hosnian Prime unscathed and afraid of what ridiculous costume they were going to put you in tonight.

“Master Hux has bought out our enslavement and employed us as your personal stylists.” Hereanula replied airly, her golden eyes just visible over the black headscarf that obscured most of her face, draping down to connect with the loose black dress that covered the rest of her. Novaethele wore the same, tutting at the state of your unstyled hair.  
“That was… nice of him.” You were suspicious, but there was no denying that they made you look the exact part he wanted you to play.

“We trade one form of slavery for another, this one just has a measley paycheck attached.” Novaethele murmured, brushing a shimmering gold onto your eyelids. Something in your stomach tightened.

“How can I help free you?” They both chuckled in unison, the tiniest tinkling of harmonious windchimes.

“Such a naive question,” Hereanula’s eyes wrinkled like she was smiling beneath her scarf. “We have nowhere to go. Even if we were free our kind has been wiped out. Better stay somewhere relatively safe than go back to the graves of our ancestors.” Nobody spoke again as they turned you back into the feminine trophy that Hux wanted to show off to his friends. They piled your hair on top of your head in a series of intricate knots, pinning it with sparkling golden jewels. They slid you into a skin-tight black dress, if there was enough fabric for it to be considered a dress - it was strapless, dipping low in the front to show a fair amount of cleavage, and even lower in the back to leave the entirety exposed. The only thing holding it on your body was the golden necklace they attached around your neck, the fabric in the front attaching to it on either side. To you, it looked very much like a collar. The dress fanned out as it met the floor, and of course, more death trap high heels. They were golden, shimmering to match the pins in your hair. You thanked both of the attendants and they slipped out, leaving you to admire yourself in the mirror. You imagined for a moment that Kylo was sitting behind you, his gaze dragging over you, hitching at every curve. Perhaps he would stalk over to you, trace the path of his eyes with his hands, touching you with just a thin layer of fabric preventing his skin meeting yours. Maybe he’d rip the dress from your body when neither of you could hold back anymore, taking you right there on the floor, his eyes bearing into yours and his hand around your throat… You sighed sharply, shaking your head to dissipate the dark thoughts and jumped in alarm to notice that one of the attendants had returned, holding a small velvet box in her hand.

“You’re not…” Something was off about her, she was tall, and not in the willowy way like Novaethele and Hereanula. She ripped back her head-scarf, revealing the same girl that had given you the drive. Her mousy brown hair was braided back, golden skin dull, but her eyes held a furious determination.

“We haven’t got much time. If Trudgen out there wasn’t nearly half asleep, I wouldn’t have gotten in.” She looked over her shoulder at the closed door, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Did you give the information to your people?”

“Yes, but I don’t understand, who are you? Why are you helping us?” She opened the black box, which held a beautiful ring that she slipped onto your middle finger. It was matte black, twisting like a snake from your first knuckle to the second.

“My name is Krisara. My twin sister and I were kidnapped when we were very young and brought here to train as soldiers. Now, they’ve taken her,” Fury made her voice tremble. “I think they’re experimenting on her. The Resistance is our best chance,” She took a shaky breath. “You are our best chance.”

“I passed it along, but I don’t know how quickly the Resistance will want to act. There are a lot of factors at play right now.”

“I understand. I have to go or they’ll be suspicious, but keep Hux close. He’d have a lot to say if you could convince him to tell you.” She gave you a look that you couldn’t comprehend. “I’ll try to come see you again as soon as I can.” She wrapped the scarf over her face and left, leaving you with your jaw on the floor and feeling the weight of more responsibility stacked on your shoulders.

Trudgen and Ushar escorted you to an upper level of the ship, where the ceiling had been pushed aside to reveal a massive skylight, the space above peppered with glittering stars. Senators, their spouses, and their aides made the large room seem quite crowded. Droids circled the room with drinks on trays, a band played in the far corner of the room. You spotted Dane laughing with one of the petite female aides from Riosa, who was not subtle about her attraction to him. You were above the scene, at the top of a staircase that would allow you to descend into the room with a dramatic flair. Hux’s idea, you supposed, though you couldn’t deny that the man had taste. As soon as you descended the first step, you felt the eyes fall onto you; you glanced at Dane, who straightened immediately out of the playful grip that the aide had on his arm to stare. You smirked at Carise Sindian, who’d just sunk her fist into her husband’s gut for looking a little too long at your plunging neckline. As you reached the bottom step, all of the idle chatter had gone quiet, the only sound coming from the music in the corner. Hux swept in from the left to smile expectantly at you, looking quite dapper in a pair of black pants and matching shirt, with a sweeping velvet cloak, holding out his hand to take yours. You allowed him to bring your hand to his lips, guiding you to the front of the room. The band slowed to a stop and Hux cleared his throat.

“We are happy to welcome you all to the Finalizer, and what is hopefully to be the home of many more diplomatic meetings to come. Please, eat, drink, dance, and simply enjoy each other’s company.” The room clapped politely, then the band struck back up, Hux grabbing you to pull you onto the large space in the middle of the room, spinning you into his arms.

“You certainly know how to make an entrance.” He murmured to you as more of the senators joined you on the dance floor.

“As if you chose this dress for any other reason.” You shot back, flashing him a dark smile as he swayed with you.

“See, anyone could wear that dress. You are what makes the statement.” You blinked, the compliment catching you off guard.

“General Hux, are you flirting with me?” You teased, waiting for his face to turn red, for that little vein in his forehead to protrude. Instead, he dipped you back, cradling the back of your neck. He brought you back up, squeezing your hand before leaving you completely shell shocked, alone in the midst of the twirling couples. You weren’t there for long, Dane scooped you up at the first opportunity, resting his hand very low on your back and staring over your head at Hux’s retreating figure.

“What was that about?” He grumbled, pulling your body even closer into his.

“Hux has a flair for the dramatics.” You rolled your eyes at him, still trying to process Hux’s very out of character actions.

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.” You snorted, picturing what he would do if he knew the half of who looked at you on this ship. “But, fuck.” He leaned down to breathe in your ear. “I can’t tell which I want more, you in this dress, or this dress on the floor.” You were throbbing between your legs, between Dane’s words and your mental image of Kylo Ren ripping the dress from your body.

“Play your cards right, maybe you’ll get lucky and have both.” They were dangerous, selfish words that fell from your lips, but the aching need was overwhelming.

The night passed without further incident, Hux paraded you around to all of the senators, introducing you to their spouses and aides officially, whisking you very rapidly away when Carise Sindian’s husband looked as though he was about to ask you to dance. You sat at the bar alone for awhile, watching as Dane tried to make an excuse to get out of dancing with the Riosa aide, who’d greeted you very coldly when Hux had introduced her as Arbritris Chesle. Finally, he seemed to be unable to come up with anything sufficient, and joined her in a very awkward looking sway. You looked on sadly, not because you were particularly jealous of the girl, but because part of you wished he would fall for her, or someone like her, to hurt you so you wouldn’t have to hurt him.

“Is his heart so fickle that he would dance with another while you sit here all alone?” Hux had slid in next to you at some point, watching you watch Dane. You took a large sip of your drink, monitoring your consciousness carefully for any slip, any sign that you might access the Force and slip into someone’s mind even for a moment.

“I have no qualms.” You replied coolly, not deigning to look at him.

“Not even if he invited her to his bed?” Your brows creased, unable to resist giving him a quizzical expression.

“If that’s what he wants.” He had a very strange expression on his face, his pupils dilated to large discs ringed with green. “Why? Going to call her a whore, too?”

“Are you ever going to forgive me for that?” He slurred, and it dawned on you. General Hux, master of careful control and sobriety, was drunk. “I didn’t mean to offend you, I was just angry.” He grabbed another drink from a passing droid and took a heavy dreg.

“Maybe it’s time to cut you off before you embarrass yourself.” You took the drink from his protesting hands, downing it yourself, your face puckering at the sting down your throat. “What the hell is this? Rocket fuel?”

“Perhaps I should get to bed.” He stumbled on his feet and you wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him steady.

“Come on, big guy, I’ll get one of the Knights to carry you to your room.”

“Come with me,” He attempted to whisper huskily in your ear, but managed to spit on the side of your face. You ignored him, sighing deeply and wiping his spittle from the side of your face as he lurched forward, nearly pulling you down with him. Trudgen was already hurrying down the stairs to assist you, righting Hux before both you tumbled to the floor.

“Thanks,” You both heaved Hux up the stairs, leaving the loud music echoing through the hallway behind you. You helped Trudgen carry him down the twisting halls to an elevator, where you got off on the bottom level, carrying him to the southernmost point; his bedroom. Footsteps sounded behind you and Trudgen dropped Hux immediately, taking his intimidating vibrocleaver from his belt and pointing it at the intruder. This caused all of Hux’s half-unconscious weight to tumble onto you. You grunted, trying to keep your own balance in the tall platforms, but steadied him as his eyes snapped open.

“You,” Hux was pointing a finger at someone you couldn’t see from behind Dane’s broad shoulders. “You aren’t allowed to be in this part of the ship.”

“I’m not letting her go anywhere alone with you in this state.” It was Dane who spoke, peeking past the vibrocleaver with fury in his eyes.

“Dane, don’t-” You started, but Hux stumbled forward, pushing Trudgen out of the way, who put his weapon down and leaned back against the wall to observe. The motherfucker.

“She is safer on this ship with me and the protection I provide than anywhere with you.” Hux spat, and Dane’s jaw clenched, hand balling into a fist at his side.

“Yeah? Well, the fact of the matter remains that she’s only going to be in one of our beds tonight, and that’s mine.” You looked incredulously at Trudgen, who shrugged nonchalantly.

“Closer to mine than yours right now, isn’t she?” You stormed forward at Hux’s words, slapping him straight across the face. You turned to Dane, glaring at the cocky smile that had fallen over his lips, and smacked him too.

“Both of you, shut. The. Fuck. Up.” You growled, gaze alternating between the two of them, rubbing their stinging cheeks. “You,” You settled on Hux, seeing the shame already welling in his eyes. “You might be drunk, but you know better than to insult me. I won’t hesitate to knock you on your ass.” You rounded on Dane, who refused to meet your gaze. “And you, egging him on. The both of you are acting like children and I won’t have it anymore. I’m not a prize to be won, I’m not a slave, selling my body off to the highest bidder.” They both looked utterly ashamed, but you were so angry, you couldn’t keep the words from spilling out. “I’ll fuck who I want to fuck, and right now I don’t want anyone in this room.” You pushed past Dane, stomping down the hall and up one level to your room, utterly alone.


	14. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find an interesting new face aboard the Finalizer, and a few old ones return early. All expectations are blown out of the water when you are asked an important question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope all of your holidays were happy, warm, and safe. As usual, thank you for the continued support, and looking forward to heading into 2021! Love y’all!

Dane attempted to get into your room no less than three times, tried to fight Trudgen, which was when you intervened, yelling at him to go back to his room before you helped Trudgen kick his ass. You’d peeled yourself out of your own dress rather disappointed, the darkest part of you hoping that your fantasy would come true, that Kylo would be there in your room waiting for you. You sighed with disgust at yourself, burying your face in your hands, rubbing at your eyes until lights danced in the darkness behind them. Tonight was bound to be another sleepless night, what with your utter failure to secure Dane’s safety. Would you ever have the strength to do it, to cut all ties? You sat up, pulling the covers off of you, suddenly stifling. Perhaps you just needed to walk, to run, to fight… something to clear all of the maddening thoughts ricocheting around your brain. You glanced over at the door, to where Trudgen was standing guard, feeling doubtful that he would allow you any amount of slack in the leash Kylo Ren had trusted him to hold. That left your secret panel, and a silent prayer that Trudgen did not make it a point to actually lay eyes on you through the night. You slipped into a pair of black leggings and a jacket, braiding your hair back out of your face. You climbed out of the panel and onto the smooth floors of the hallway, sliding it back soundlessly until there was a sliver just small enough for you to hook a finger around. The hallways were empty as you roamed, no clear destination in mind, just putting one foot in front of the other to avoid succumbing to the whirlpool in your head that was threatening to drown you. You passed endless doorways, some shut and locked, some open archways leading into further hallways or meeting rooms with empty, gleaming tables. Ahead, your ears perked to hear echoing whispers off the walls, the harsh tones of an argument. You crept forward, flattening yourself against a wall, peering slowly around the corner ahead. The hallway did not continue, you noted, but rather you found yourself at the top of a landing, looking out over a large room you’d never seen before, the shadows of two figures rising high against the back wall. You stayed back, avoiding detection from the occupants below, their hushed retorts finally in your earshot as you stilled, listening.

“You did not pull it off in full, we will not be paying in full. This is my final word.” You could not make out who the voice belonged to, but heard the click of heeled shoes stalk off just beneath you. You were frozen for a moment, then chanced a glance over the balcony, peering down at the broad back of a tall man, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail down the nape of his neck.

“I won’t forget this insult.” He called as footsteps faded into silence. His voice was vaguely familiar now at full volume, though a thorough racking of your brain came up empty. You ducked down as the man turned, trying to keep your eyes above the railing while still keeping out of sight. You clapped your hand over your mouth as his face came into view; his was not one you’d readily forget: the notorious bounty hunter Rhysio Daivik was walking free right under your nose, right under the entire Senate’s nose, some of whom were here in the same vicinity. Was he here to finish the job? How did he get on without detection?

“You!” You had stood to attention and growled the word before you could think, before you remembered that you had no backup, no weapon besides the small knife you always kept strapped to your thigh. Daivik’s piercing blue eyes shot up to you, his surprise fading easily into a cocky grin.

“Me,” He held out his arms like he was presenting himself for an award, his teeth glinting white in the dim starlight, pouring in from large paneled windows on either side of the room. “And who might you be?” You looked down, assessing the distance between the top of the landing and the floor, deciding it was well worth the risk of a broken ankle to catch this murderer. You hopped over the balcony railing and landed with a sharp shock of pain up each of your legs, but bones intact nonetheless.

“I can’t wait to see the reward I get when I tell the Senate you’re here. I’ll bet you thought you were so inconspicuous, sneaking on here, ready to finish what you started back on Hosnian Prime.” He eyed you with interest, not moving for a weapon, his calm, almost lazy demeanor foolishly making you out to be quite harmless.

“You have no power here, or I’d know you.” He stepped forward, herding you back against a wall, the metal cool against your skin. In an instant you had your knife out, the tip pressed against his jugular. But he was fast, too, and you felt a sharp point against your own throat. His gaze bore down into yours as he dragged the blade up, the flat side catching just under your chin, forcing you to look up at him.

“I must say, this is my kind of foreplay.” He whispered, laughing as your face screwed up in rage. With a mere flick of his wrist, your knife clattered on the floor, a cacophony in the silence of the night, and he’d flipped you around, your stomach pressing hard against the wall. He pushed the weight of himself into your back, a few loose strands of his hair brushing your cheek as he leaned over your left side. “Might I suggest picking a fight with someone your own size.” Your chest heaved against the metal panel.

“Hands off the liaison, Daivik.” Came a new, cold voice from behind you. Vicrul. You felt Daivik turn, laughing smugly and only tightening his grip on you.

“Ah, the liaison,” He took a great inhale of your scent, looking back toward Vicrul. “This is what Ren is making such a fuss about?” You could hear the arrogance in his tone, and your blood ran cold. Was Kylo there too? You couldn’t turn your head back far enough to see. But if Vicrul was here… No, no, if Kylo was there Rhysio Daivik’s head would hardly still be attached to his body. You took advantage of the distraction to smash the back of your head into Daivik’s nose, still leaning down over you, and twisted around, kicking him square in the chest. He landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, clutching his face as blood spurted down from around his fingers. You bent down over him, your hand snaking its way around his throat, squeezing just hard enough to restrict blood flow.

“I happen to like it when big, stupid men underestimate me.” You tightened your grip just for a moment, relishing the gag that came from his lips, and then released him, stalking over to Vicrul with a smirk. He removed his helmet, grinning broadly at you, tan skin gleaming in the glow of the stars.

“Slipped your escort?” He raised his brows, looking around for signs of his brothers and coming up empty.

“Me? I would never.” You winked, turning back to the bounty hunter who had begun to stand up. “Aren’t you going to arrest him?” Vicrul looked away, watching Daivik give you a rude gesture before storming down the hallway to your left.

“No, the Commander does not trust anyone else to interrogate him.” You stared at him incredulously, hands on your hips.

“That’s not his decision to make. He is wanted by the Republic for the assassination of the Chancellor! You think it’s wise to let him roam around unaccompanied? There are a whole host of senators on the ship at this very moment! Unless…” A cold chill ran down your spine. Unless the First Order was behind everything. You tried to swallow, but found that you couldn’t. It all made sense, the assassination, Hux’s vy for power, the bombing of the opposition, killing off multiple voices against him. You pressed your lips together very tightly, breath coming in quick spurts of panic. “Where’s Kylo?” New fears were creeping into your mind now, whether Dane was safe and asleep in his bed, or if Kylo had already sensed his presence, and had buried his lightsaber deep in his chest.

“Hospital bay,” Vicrul said, a note of suspicion in his tone at your unfinished thought. Your breath hitched in your throat. “We ran into quite a nasty creature that attacked while we slept. He took the brunt of it.” You tried to breathe a sigh of relief, the knowledge that Dane was safe for the night should have thrilled you, but your insides twisted uncomfortably. “He’s sedated for now.”

“I-“ You bit your bottom lip, struggling to find your words. “Take me to him.” Vicrul eyed you very strangely, but nodded once.

Vicrul stopped outside the hospital bay’s double doors and allowed you to go in alone, stepping lightly through the large open space, very few curtains drawn to represent an occupied bed. Kylo was in the same back room they’d put you after Daivik had shot you on Hosnian Prime, a droid beeping at you disapprovingly as you came up on his bedside. Like this, devoid of his helmet and usual armor, he looked peaceful, almost docile. You stared at his features, long lashes lying against the top of his cheeks, his bold nose, his lips, so pink and supple… you shuddered at the memory of them pressed against yours. Feeling as though you were in a trance, you traced the tops of his fingers with your own, moving up his wrist, his shoulder, the pronounced collarbones; he stirred slightly when you came to his jaw, prickling with stubble, but did not wake. He looked whole and uninjured from what you could see above the blanket, so you peeled it back slowly, realizing with a start that he was naked. A large gash marred his right thigh, reaching up to slash the skin just below his navel. It was unbandaged, but a thick, jelly-like, clear salve was spread over the entirety of the wound, keeping the bleeding contained. You touched the intact skin of his thigh, tracing the path of the gash up, and your ears began to ring, all of the sounds in the room muffling into silence. The surroundings faded away, the air around you suddenly stifling with humidity, your feet sinking down into sand. You whipped around, a strange shuffling sound breaking the quiet. Something moved in your peripheral and you saw Vicrul, masked and armored, holding his scythe up in defense. You looked down and found that the hands did not belong to you; you were wearing black leather gloves, holding Kylo’s ignited lightsaber. The floor beneath you exploded, pain shooting white hot up the right side of your body as you fell backward. Vicrul swung his scythe at a roaring monster, hundreds of legs like a giant centipede, but sharp fangs nearly a foot long. It took a swipe at Vicrul with its teeth, but Vicrul swing the point of his scythe up into the roof of its mouth. It squealed with pain, its teeth clanking against the metal as it tried again and again to bite down. You pulled yourself up, limping over and slicing its thick, slimy body in half with your lightsaber. It’s legs on both halves twitched uncontrollably, but it stayed down.

The scene around you swirled, muffled voices and blurry visions surrounding you on all sides.

“Ben,” You heard a familiar female voice clearly through the muttering that had become like static. Colors bounced into view, a younger Leia was peering down on you with pity in her eyes. You were very small, holding onto the bottom of her dress and whimpering pitifully. “Ben, let go, please.” She wrenched the fabric out of your tiny hands, someone picking you up and carrying you away. You reached out and called for her.

“Mom!” You sobbed in a child’s voice, an unknown female’s voice trying to be soothing as she patted your back. Leia didn’t glance back.

You felt your stomach drop as though you were free-falling through the air, and then you were back in your body, removing your trembling hands from Kylo’s bare skin. He was still unconscious, but his eyes were moving behind his gently closed lids, as though he was dreaming vividly. You stared at him for several pounding heartbeats, knowing with unwavering certainty that you’d, somehow, just accessed Kylo’s memory. And so the rumors had been true after all, Kylo Ren was Leia’s son. A little afraid of the power that you knew resided inside of you, you realized then that you had to be trained. It was time to know the truth. You backed out of the room, leaning up against the wall as Vicrul eyed you curiously.

“He’s going to be alright.” Vicrul said, though not making any move to come closer. You stared at him, your throat becoming very tight, a strange feeling blossoming deep within your core, but you stamped it back down. You turned on your heel and walked back to your room, Vicrul in tow.

Trudgen gave you a very annoyed, chastising speech when you returned, but you blocked most of it out. Instead, Leia’s words played on repeat in your head; Ben. That must be Kylo’s true name, not that you’d be stupid enough to confirm it with him. You laid down to sleep, knowing you’d get very little at this hour of the night before you’d have to face Hux again. You fell asleep rather quickly, but your dreams were vivid, your father’s face sometimes morphing into Leia, abandoning you in your hour of need. Kylo, of course, made an appearance, holding out his gloved hand for you to sit beside him on a throne, apparently ruling together over the Senate. Your father and Leia knelt below the dais, awaiting sentencing for an unknown crime. You turned to Kylo, who was looking rather softly at you, putting a hand on your arm and nodding encouragingly.

“For your crimes against the First Order, and against us,” Your voice broke, but you swallowed and continued on. “I sentence you both to die.” Your father stared forward with stubborn fury, but Leia looked up at Kylo, pleading in her gaze, apology seeping out through tears.

“Miss, please,” Your eyes flew open, heart hammering against your ribs, but it was only Novaethele and Herenula, draped today in fine green silks. “We’ve only an hour to prepare you for today’s meetings. You sighed, feeling if possible even more exhausted than you had the night before.

You made your way across the ship, Cardo in tow today, an hour later. Your attendants had done what they could with the time they had, but they couldn’t hide the dark bags under your eyes from many a night of poor sleep. They’d left your hair unbound, dressing you in a cropped black shirt with silver wire triangles holding it up around your neck and shoulders, cutting out several patches of skin below your bust. Hux had allowed you leather pants to be tucked into heeled boots, a sweeping cape attaching to the metal at the nape of your neck. Herenuala had adorned you with a silver clip on the left side of your hair, pulling a few pieces out of your face. You were looking forward to cornering Hux this morning, demanding answers not only for his strange, drunken behavior but also for the presence of a mass murderer on his ship. But it was Dane who met you at the door to the meeting room, a few senators and their aides already seated at the long table.

“I’m sorry,” He breathed, taking your hand and bringing it toward his face. You ripped your hand out of his and glared, stepping out of his proximity.

“Not here. We can talk later.” Dane looked put out, but nodded stiffly, taking a seat at the table. You followed, leaving an empty space between you for Leia’s virtual attendance. Hux looked perhaps even worse than you did, a slightly green hue to his normal pallor. He did not make eye contact with you, but you stood, cornering him before he could reach his seat.

“I’d like a word with you, Hux.” He looked over your shoulder at Dane, then up to the ceiling.

“The meeting starts in 5 minutes, I’m sure this can wait until-“

“No,” You hissed, stepping closer to him. “We speak now, before the meeting starts.” He finally let his gaze settle on you, swallowing hard. He turned to the side, allowing you to lead the way into the antechamber just off the room.

“So,” You began once he had shut the door, silencing the murmurs of the senators behind you.

“I’m not proud of my actions last night. I let the drink get the better of my sense. For that I apologize.” Hux blushed a deep scarlet and clasped his hands behind his back, still avoiding eye contact.

“Alright,” You smirked, wondering whether it would be too cruel to tease him relentlessly for admitting he wanted to take you to bed. “I was actually wondering why Rhysio Daivik is wandering the halls of the Finalizer.” His face twisted into rage, looking as though he would like nothing more than to strangle you.

“You are not to be exploring this ship without your guard!” He spat, his face pinching into its usual annoyed expression. “Rhysio Daivik is a prisoner of the First Order, and that is privileged information!”

“He’s allowed a rather long leash, don’t you think?” You huffed. “Longer than mine, and I’m not even a captive.”

“Don’t talk about what you don’t understand.” He rushed past you toward the door, pausing with his hand hovering over the control panel. “If you tell anyone of his presence on the ship, I’ll relieve you of your position.”

“You’d better hope nothing happens to these Senators during their visit. If I find even a whisper of proof that the First Order was involved in the assassination of the Chancellor or the bombing, I will take you down.”

“Good luck.” He sneered, disappearing back into the meeting.

Hux spent most of the meeting talking about strengthening the New Republic’s military, to which many nodded and remarked in agreement. You listened only half-heartedly, surveying all of the doorways with careful scrutiny, but the bounty hunter did not make an appearance, even into the late afternoon. Hux turned to face you as the final strategy session came to a close.

“Stay behind for a moment, if you will.” Dane paused where he had just stood, eyeing Hux with blatant distaste. “You, too,” Hux gestured to him, inviting him to sit back down. “And I suppose General Organa should be present,” Her hologram blinked into existence between you and Dane, greeting each of you in turn.

“What’s this about, General?” She asked Hux, pursing her lips at him.

“I am very pleased with our arrangement, General, I feel as though our organizations are getting on quite well.” His tone soured, as though he was forcing the words out. You supposed it was in direct correlation with his shame from the night before. “I am wondering if we could tie our causes together even deeper, extend our friendship.”

“Go on,” Leia was narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Dane her mirror. Hux fidgeted in his seat, his cheeks flushing with apparent fury.

“Spit it out, Hux,” You rapped your fingernails on the table impatiently. His gaze centered on you, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

“Marry me,” You looked over your shoulder, wondering who exactly he was talking to, but it was, in fact, you


	15. Champagne Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’ve just been asked a question that will change the entire course of your life. Will you accept or refuse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 100 kudos, y’all I am literally crying. THANK YOU. I had one of the worst weeks ever, and your comments on the last chapter were the only thing that made me smile. Happy new year to all, I hope it’s the best one yet for each and every one of you. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
> 
> My coworker got me a life size Kylo Ren cardboard cutout that is now on display in my bedroom. 12/10 gift. 🤩🤩
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy!

A shocked silence settled in the room and persisted for a whole minute. Hux’s face went from pink to a delicate shade of purple, his jaw twitching as he attempted to repress his scowl. Nobody seemed to know what to say, not even Dane, whose mouth was hanging unabashedly open. A fit of laughter fell from your lips so sharply that everyone’s gaze snapped onto you, watching while you wheezed, your stomach clenching painfully as you tried to catch your breath.

“I don’t see what’s so amusing.” Hux couldn’t hide his distaste anymore, narrowing his eyes at you.

“You’re… serious?” You whispered, laughter dying away at once, a heavy feeling carving a home in your abdomen.

“No,” Dane found his voice, looking incredulously between you and Dane. “Absolutely not.” Leia still had not spoken, but Dane turned to her for support. “She is a human being, not some political pawn that can be married off to form an alliance!”

“It is merely an offer, a show of good faith to you and the Resistance.” Hux said coolly, speaking directly to Leia now and ignoring Dane’s protests. “Nothing will change if she denies.”

“She will never marry you.” Dane growled, kicking back his chair so hard when he stood that it hit the wall with a clatter of metal. His eyes shone with deep hatred, spit flying as he spoke. “She is worth more than-”

“Dane,” You stood too, a rough hand pulling Dane back from where it seemed he was about to leap across the table to attack Hux. “Hux, would you give us a moment to discuss?” He got to his feet, swallowing hard.

“Of course,” He nodded and turned on his heel, leaving the room. Dane was glaring at you with a contempt you rarely saw directed at anyone that wasn’t the enemy.

“You can’t be considering this,” He sounded angry, but underneath it, he was scared. You could see it in his eyes. “Please,” You turned away from him, pacing the length of the room and back again, looking at the blue-tinged face of Leia.

“I would never ask you to do this.” She was trying to keep her expression neutral, but you could tell, even through the hologram, that she was conflicted, perhaps for the same reason that you were. “He said himself that nothing will change if you don’t want to.” You took another lap of the room, your brain so addled that you felt a headache coming on in your temples. Hux was a liar; everything would change if you refused him, you’d never be able to get close enough for him to confide in you. If you said no, you’d be even worse off than you already were. The words of Krisara echoed in your head, about keeping Hux close, about convincing him to tell you more, how you could make him trust you. You were just scratching the surface of the secrets The First Order was keeping, and the only way to expose them was to climb further inside. This marriage was the way, you could feel it in your bones. You sighed, pulling out Hux’s empty seat and lowering yourself into it.

“I’m on the verge of discovery on more than one front.” Dane glowered, shaking his head as though he knew what you were going to say. “The only way forward is to accept Hux’s proposal.” Dane opened his mouth to protest, but you held up a hand to silence him. “For all intents and purposes, I will be his wife. I collect the necessary information to bring the entire First Order down, and the marriage will be dissolved. Like it never existed.”

“Do not forget about the drawbacks, you will inherit the First Order’s enemies.” Leia reminded you gently, but the relief on her face was unmistakable. “And there’s the expectation of children,” At these words, Dane pounded his first so hard into the table that it left a small divot.

“This is madness!” He exploded, eyes suddenly bloodshot as he rounded the table, pulling you up out of your seat and looking you in the face, hands hard on your shoulders. “Don’t do it,” He whispered your name so heartbreakingly softly that you considered lying to ease his pain. “Please don’t marry him.”

“There is no other choice.” You touched his cheek, trying not to let your relief show on your face. This was an easier explanation than anything you would have been able to come up with. It was for his own good, for his safety.

“There’s always a choice.” He let go of you, backing away slowly before striding quickly from the room. You sighed, pressing your thumbs against your temples in an attempt to quell the raging headache that was growing stronger.

“Dane will understand eventually.” You jumped, nearly forgetting Leia was still there. “He just needs to cool off. I’m proud of you and in awe of your sacrifice. You will undoubtedly save more lives than you could ever know.” You sat again, slumping over the table and resting your chin on your palms.

“Have you heard anymore on my lineage?” You asked hopefully, hoping that a change of subject would ease the stress of your impending wedding that was mounting inside of you.

“Nothing yet,” Something nudged at you from the back of your mind, at the slight change in inflection of her tone, the shift of her shoulders as she spoke. Kylo Ren’s voice flooded your head, that she wouldn’t tell you even if she knew.

“I-” You started speaking, then snapped your lips closed. You weren’t sure what made you decide not to inform her of Kylo’s offer to tell you of your genealogy, about the Sith. She stared at you expectantly. “I suppose I should discuss the terms of this marriage with Hux.”

“Yes,” She looked down at her hands sheepishly. “I could never express how much I value your bravery, but don’t compromise so much of yourself that you don’t know the person that comes out the other side.” You swallowed; if only she knew.

Hux was lingering outside the door, pacing the length of the hallway with his trademark stance of hands clasped behind his back, perhaps gripped tighter than usual. When he saw you, he stopped short.

“I suppose Dane’s dramatic exit means good news for me?”

“We have much to discuss, Hux. If I accept, there will be certain conditions.” You assured him, narrowing your eyes.

“I would expect nothing less.” He held out his arm, and it took much of your willpower not to swat it away. He led you to a quiet room on the upper level of the ship, near the ballroom where the prior night’s cocktail party had been located. The room was midsize yet elegant, a circular table set for two in the middle of a lavish carpet. Candles flickered to bathe the room in a warm glow, two large glasses of blood-red wine set before steaming dinner plates. You looked up as you made your way to your seat, the ceiling was rolled back to reveal a window to the stars, twinkling bright against the dark. When you were both seated, you took in a deep breath, along with a deep drag of your wine.

“I can’t say that this offer was expected. When you said you had a proposal for me I had no idea you meant it quite so literally.” You began, savoring the pleasant warmth of the wine in your belly. He said nothing, avoiding your gaze and cutting into his food. “First and foremost, I want you to understand that even if I am your wife in title, I will never be your property.” He rolled his eyes.

“Done.”

“I will keep my own quarters.” You felt heat rising into your cheeks, silently thankful for the cover of the dim light. “And I will not bear you children.” Hux stopped chewing and looked at you thoughtfully.

“So you’re asking for a marriage in name alone?” His skin flickered gold in the glow of the flames, illuminating his green eyes.

“I’m telling you that the thought of becoming a mother makes me want to slit my wrists, and I will not change my stance on your account.” You shuddered at the thought of a red-headed infant in your arms. He considered for a few moments, sipping at his wine rather gingerly.

“I will not force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” You breathed out steadily, relief flooding your veins. That was the part of this deal you had been most concerned about, and you believed him. “You may keep your own rooms when we are not in the presence of company.” You finished your wine and set the empty glass on the table, staring at the planes of his face, your betrothed. “Any other requests?”

“I sit on the Council. Permanently.” Hux poured you another glass of wine, gaze steady on yours. “And I retain my title of liaison.”

“Very well. You’re to be my most trusted advisor if and when I’m elected Chancellor.” He added, breathing deeply. “Do you accept?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be down on one knee?” You smirked, sitting back in your chair and raising your eyebrows, tipping back yet another mouthful of wine. You were edging into dangerous territory again, already feeling the deep corners of your mind buzzing with alcohol.

“Are you asking me to kneel again?” Something in his tone made your teasing demeanor melt away, like he would do it, like he wanted to. You shifted uncomfortably, the wine making you hot all over.

“I accept your proposal,” You announced rather stiffly, ignoring his comment all together.

“Wonderful.” Hux clapped his hands together, looking quite pleased with himself, returning to his food cheerfully. “Let’s finish up, then we can attend our engagement party. “

When you’d finished your dinner in utter silence, Hux stood and left the room. You got to your feet to follow, but Novaethele and Herenula had taken his place almost immediately, slipping in so quietly that you yelped when you looked up and saw them standing before you.

“I hear congratulations are in order.” Novaethele said airily, her expression devoid of any emotion.

“I guess,” You replied glumly, frowning at the floor. You’d half hoped that you’d be able to keep this quiet, at least for awhile, but it was typical Hux fashion to turn the whole thing into an event.

“We’re to dress you for the party.” Hereanula held out a dress, a slip of black lace and satin. You sighed, allowing them to strip you, pull the cool fabric over your body, clinging to every dip and curve. You felt your throat tighten as they put their last touches on your makeup and turned to leave. Were you making the right decision? Your father’s voice was echoing in the back of your head, calling you a whore, that you were good for nothing, no achievement being enough. You wrapped your arms around yourself, taking a deep breath in and trying to put on a smile. You knew that Hux would want his future wife to look pretty for all of his Senate friends. All you had to do was grin and bear it for a little white, get him to trust you, to fall in love with you if you had to, and then bring the whole thing down. You could do it, you had to. You left the room, another sip from your glass ffor good measure, and found Vicrul waiting just outside the door. He removed his helmet and gave you a quick once over, looking very grave.

“What is it?” You asked, hearing the muffled voices and laughter of a party wafting from down the hall.

“The Commander will not be pleased to hear of this arrangement.” You felt all of your blood drain into your toes. Caught up in the shock of Hux’s proposal and Dane’s reaction, you hadn’t even thought of the calamity that would be Kylo. You wondered if his fury would be greater at you or at Hux, but you knew you would take the brunt of the punishment. A sick sort of thrill ran up your spine at the thought of how exactly he would take out his anger, at how he would take you, fill you up, force you onto your knees… you cleared your throat, gaze snapping up to Vicrul’s.

“Kylo has no say in the decisions I make.” You adjusted the lace sleeve around your wrist, taking a step forward toward your party, but Vicrul caught your forearm, pulling you back. You glared at his hand.

“I’m warning you, he’s more volatile than usual when…” He trailed off, lowering his voice to a whisper as footsteps sounded coming down the hall. “When it comes to you.” A dark beast in your mind purred with pleasure; perhaps you were more to Kylo than just an experiment for his lab. You were sure Vicrul saw your eyes flash with lust, but as Hux’s slim form stalked into view, you were forced to spit a quick reply.

“Maybe he should learn some control.” You stepped forward to Hux as Vicrul replaced his helmet.

“Ah, there you are.” His demeanor toward you was still cool, but his eyes roamed over you in a way that suggested he hadn’t forgotten what he’d asked the night before. “I was beginning to think that you’d changed your mind.” He did not acknowledge Vicrul, a testament to their last vicious exchange.

“Not yet,” You grinned, reaching out to tuck back a piece of the red hair that had fallen loose on his forehead. You noted his breath hitch in his throat, the way he stood so unnaturally still, how his eyes were locked so intently on you, following the path of your hand. It was too easy, too simple, but perhaps he was truly a glutton for punishment. “Shall we?” You linked your arm around his and made off toward the party.

The room looked nearly identical to the way it had the night before, the senators and their aides drinking and congregating in small groups of three or four. The room quieted when you and Hux approached, a droid bringing over two glass flutes of bubbling champagne. You spotted Dane, sitting on one of the leather couches behind the bar near the back of the room, the Riosan aide, Arbritris, perched in his lap. She was laughing at something he had just whispered in her ear, his hand very low on the small of her back. He caught your eye, staring at you as he pressed his lips against her jaw. You sighed, annoyance prickling up your spine. Did he think that was going to make you jealous?

“I’ve congregated us here tonight not just for a celebration of a successful meeting, but because I’ve some exciting news to share with you all. As you well know, the Resistance and the First Order have long since had their differences.” Hux paused for effect, and a few people laughed. “This extraordinary woman has been the bridge between what has been, up until recently, a hostile relationship.” Dane had progressed to, what looked to you, like seeing how far he could stick his tongue down her throat. Hux brushed his hand over your back before continuing his speech. “I’m thrilled to announce that the Resistance and the First Order are strengthening our alliance through our engagement.” Hux raised his glass, nudging you to follow his lead. You held your glass in front of you, trying to force a genuine smile, but the sight of Dane was edging your temper. “To us,” Hux clinked his glass against yours, and the room erupted into applause, with the exception of three: Dane and Arbritris, too busy with their tongues in each other’s mouths, and Carise Sindian.

“Care to dance?” Hux asked as the band struck up a brass-heavy tune that complimented the singer's soft crooning.

“Of course.” One last glance at Dane, who was now multi-tasking by watching you, and you pressed yourself up against Hux on the dance floor.

You’d made a circuit of the room as the night wore on, the senators congratulating you and Hux, the wives giving you unsolicited advice. You gazed at Hux with what you hoped was an adoring expression, none of the resentment leaking out. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad, perhaps you could coax the information you needed out of him quickly, then you could leave this place forever. You shuddered at the thought; you knew leaving Hux behind would not be the problem.

“I wouldn’t get too comfortable,” Came a hiss at your ear the moment Hux left your side to refresh your glass. The click of heels coming round put you face to face with the sneering Carise Sindian.

“Don’t threaten me, Sindian.” You shot back lazily, a wolfish grin spreading over your lips. “You won’t like the end result.”

“You wouldn’t dare, Armitage is-” At that moment, Hux returned to your side, handing you a glass of white wine.

“What about me?” He brushed his arm against yours, sneaking a glance at you out of the corner of his eye.

“Senator Sindian was just offering me her congratulations on our engagement. Quite a sweet sentiment.” You smirked as Sindian’s jaw clenched, then she relaxed and smiled at Hux.

“Yes, what a handsome couple you make. May your alliance be strong.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm, and she stalked away, but not before casting you another nasty glance. Hux pretended not to notice this.

“It’s getting quite late,” He mentioned, leaning back against one of the high top tables behind you and propping his elbows on it. 

“Hm,” You mirrored him, your gaze snagging on Dane and Arbritris locked together in a tight embrace. Hux was watching you, following your eyes to see what had caught your attention and sighing deeply.

“Fickle,” He murmured, sidling closer to you. “Just as I said.” You blinked, watching with a twist in your gut as she pulled him off the couch toward the exit, no doubt back to one of their rooms.

“And his actions are none of my concern. Just as I said.” Regardless, you turned away, not bearing to watch them leave together.

“You know, you don’t have to pretend that you’re incapable of being hurt.” You snorted, staring down at your hands. “You deserve better.” He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear with his slim fingers, brushing his thumb along your cheek as he pulled away. You looked at him for a long moment, memorizing the exact shade of his eyes, his pale lashes, the frown lines between his brows. You had whiplash from how often he decided to show you kindness, then promptly taking it away.

“I think I’m going to head off to bed.” You drained your glass, steadying yourself before you took your first step. You’d overindulged, and if you didn’t sleep it off you were sure it would end badly.

“I’ll join you,” You raised your eyebrows at him, unable to help but laugh at the blush that crept over his pale cheeks. “I’ll walk you to your room.” He amended, taking your glass and setting it down on a passing service droid’s tray. You strode off together, feeling the eyes of the remaining guests on your back, especially Carise Sindian, who you were quite certain was plotting your murder. You shot her a wink and brought your hand down to entwine with Hux’s, interlacing your fingers and squeezing gently. He looked down at you, surprised, but it faded into a soft smile. Vicrul followed at short distance, his disapproval radiating in the air. You stopped in front of the door to your room, turning to face each other, tension flooding into the space around you.

“Well,” Hux began, standing very stiffly. “Goodnight then.” His gaze dropped to your lips for just a fraction of a second before he turned on his heel and left, his pace nearly a jog.

“Hux,” You called after him, pressing the button on the panel to make your doors slide open. He turned immediately, eyes alight with anticipation. “Goodnight. And thank you.” He smiled gently, nodding, as the door slid shut behind you.

You fell back against the door as soon as it closed behind you, the gravity of the situation finally crashing down on you. You were to be married to Hux, of all people. You were to deceive him so thoroughly that he would not question your devotion to him. Kylo Ren’s fury would be unmatched; he would be so angry that, in fact, you might not even be married at all. Perhaps he would kill Hux before you even had the chance to wed. You paced your bedroom for a half hour, thoughts racing, before deciding that you had to see him again, to tell him, to explain. When you stepped out, Vicrul was huddled together with Cardo just beside the door.

“Is Kylo awake yet?” You asked as their whispers silenced, staring at you through their masks.

“Not yet,” Cardo said impassively, “We’re prolonging his sedation until his wound heals further because of his expected… agitation.” You rolled your eyes.

“I’m not responsible for making sure all of my decisions line up with his ridiculous mood swings.”

“What do you need?” Vicrul snapped, rather uncharacteristically.

“I want to go see him again.” You insisted, alcohol buzzing like fire through your veins. Vicrul shook his head, puffing out his chest and gaining up on you, forcing your back to collide with the door.

“You will get back in your room and go to bed.” He commanded, a gloved finger pointing at your chest, his mask so close to yours now that if you moved even an inch you’d touch it.

“What’s your problem?” You shoved at him, but he caught both your wrists in his grip, holding you back. “I don’t take orders from you, let me go!”

“Vicrul,” Cardo’s tone was cautious, but firm. He came forward to reach out and touch his shoulder, but Vicrul shook him off.

“Don’t tell me you care about him, not after all he’s done!” His hands were so tight around your wrist now you thought the bones might snap, but you simply gritted your teeth, narrowing your eyes.

“Care?” You breathed, ripping your hands out of his with a painful pop. “Care about him?” You shook your head. “You don’t know anything, Vicrul.” Your voice was icy, furious. How dare he accuse you of this? “You’ve gone too far, I-I won’t-” Unsteady footsteps came around the corner, causing all three of you to turn. Dane stumbled into view, his eyes bloodshot, shirt half unbuttoned to reveal a tattoo on one side, uneven burnt skin on the other.

“What’s going on?” He slurred, staring between you and Vicrul, already working himself up.

“Nothing.” You spat, shoving him away from you and turning on Dane. “What do you want?”

“To talk.” His expression softened, regret shining in his eyes. “Please?” You sighed, shooting one last cold look at Vicrul before taking Dane’s hand and pulling him into your room, the doors sliding shut behind you.

“My patience is thin, Dane, say what you’ve come to say, then get out.” He regarded you with anger for a moment, a fire blazing in his dark eyes, but it faded as quickly as it had come.

“I’m sorry,” He began, opening his mouth as though to say more, but shutting it just as quickly. You shook your head, lips pressing together in a tight line, hands shaking from the unreleased rage.

“For what?” Your voice was calm, too calm, too steady. “Did you just come from her room? Is your cock still wet from her cunt?” Now you were yelling, you couldn’t help it, unable to contain your emotions any longer. He was taken aback, his jaw working furiously as he thought of what to say. You lowered your voice now, watching his hands ball into fists. “You think this is what I want? You think I would choose this? I’m doing what’s best for the galaxy and you’re not allowed to punish me for that.” You took a deep, shaky breath, waiting, watching sweat shine on his brown skin, his chest heaving. He crossed the length of the room in two strides, pulling you against him and kissing you like he had only moments to live. You tore open the rest of his shirt, your hands running over his chest, some skin smooth, some rough, his groan deep and throaty in your ear. He teeth grazed your neck, the both of your breathing frenzied, and a loud tearing sounded through the air as he ripped through the lace and silk, the two halves of the dress falling to the floor. A small voice in the back of your mind told you to stop, that this was endangering Dane’s life; but another, louder thought pulsed through you. Maybe you wanted Kylo to find out, maybe you wanted to watch him fight for you, maybe Dane would only get what he deserved.

“I couldn’t go through with it,” Dane breathed in your ear as you pulled his cock from his pants and stroked it roughly. “With Arbritris.” You gave him a dark look, pulling the black lace of your underwear aside and allowing him to pick you up, turning to press your back against the wall as he thrust into you. You gasped, arching back as he fucked you, his hands gripping your hips and your skin slapping together. You whimpered as you brought your hand down to touch yourself, angling your hips so the tip of his cock pounded against a particularly pleasurable spot. He finished before you, his nails digging into your skin as he moaned and grunted, pulling out and buttoning his pants back up. You ached with lust, body begging for release, but you looked up at Dane with a grave expression.

“This can’t happen again, Dane.” You warned, your throat tightening painfully.

“I love you.” He said, but it sounded like an accusation. “I can’t watch you marry someone else. I can’t do it.” He took your face in both of his hands, his gaze pleading. You stared at him, your bottom lip trembling uncontrollably, grabbing his wrists gently with your hands.

“Then leave.” You whispered, regretting the words immediately. The look of betrayal on his face cut deeper than any weapon. He stepped back, eyes full of tears, swaying on his feet for just a moment as though expecting you’d change your mind, and then he left without another word. When you awoke the next morning, Dane’s ship was gone.


	16. Dark Legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all been leading up to this. Kylo Ren has awoken and you must face the consequences of your decisions. You are brought before Supreme Leader Snoke and all is finally revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been waitin' for this one... TURN IT UP! 
> 
> *Daddy Issues plays in the background*
> 
> Enjoy ;)

You weren’t sure why you expected there to be some big change in your day to day life now that you were betrothed. With Kylo still sedated, things stayed much the same. There had been one last half-day of senate meetings before the mass departure of senators back to their home planets. Carise Sindian was the last to leave, requesting a personal, private meeting with Hux. She came out of it looking furious, red in the face, regarding you with a sharp tongue and wagging finger.

“Enjoy this while you can, girl. The higher you rise, the harder you’ll fall.” Ushar pushed you behind him, his hand resting threateningly on the handle of his vibromachete.

“Carise, please, I heard your advice, now I ask you to respect my decision.” Hux rushed over, pulling her back and stepping between her and Ushar. “And please respect my future wife.”

“You’ll see, Armitage. You’ll wish you had listened to me.” Carise sighed sharply, casting you a final glare before she set off toward her transport. Hux gave you a shrug and a look that said, _what can you do?_ You trained with Kuruk and Trudgen, Vicrul refusing to be anywhere near you, let alone have a necessary conversation to answer your questions. Everything felt as though it had grinded to a screeching halt. You spoke to Leia, who had confirmed Dane’s safe arrival back on D’Qar, but he wasn’t speaking to you either. A feeling of loneliness burrowed into the pit of your stomach, and you wondered hopelessly if by giving up Dane you’d given up your chance at real happiness. You certainly wouldn’t find it with Kylo, or even Hux. But there was more to life than love, and you had a job to do.

You lay in bed one night after a particularly grueling training session, a long hot soak in the tub working out the tension in your legs and back. Trudgen had nearly cracked your spine when he’d tackled you to the ground, your lower vertebrae still aching with every subtle movement. You lay awake in dim light, staring up at the ceiling and counting silvery lines separating the black panels, trying not to picture Dane’s final heartbroken stare. There was a commotion in the hallway that had you sitting bolt upright in bed, ears perking to listen. You climbed out of bed slowly, one foot at a time, and there was a clatter of metal just outside your door, the unmistakable whoosh of a lightsaber sheathed. Fear prickled in icy tendrils down your back; Kylo was awake, and you had the feeling he knew. You stood in front of the door, stomach churning, half wondering whether you should make a run for it through the secret panel. The mechanism hissed, the door slid open, and there he was, hastily dressed in black trousers and a matching jacket, hair unruly, all of his weight shifted to his left leg. His face, so achingly beautiful, was twisted with rage. Oh yes, he knew.

“Kylo, I-” Your eyes flickered beyond him, to where Kuruk lay unconscious on the ground. You burned with shame, but why? What had he done to deserve the feelings he invoked in you?

“Don’t talk.” He started forward, limping slightly and grunting with apparent pain. He stopped in front of you, towering so high, and regarded you with such smoldering fury that you swallowed hard, forcing yourself to stare back up at him. “On your knees.” He commanded, awakening a throbbing deep in your core.

“I’m not your soldier, you can’t just command me to-”

“ON YOUR KNEES!” He screamed, the look in his eyes so wild that you scrambled down, knees hitting the cold floor with a painful thump. Your breath quickened, heart pounding against your ribs, watching his boots pace in front of you. “Imagine for a moment, you’ve awoken in the hospital bay after who knows how long, betrayed by your own men, keeping you sedated, no doubt for their own gain.” Your head shot up, rushing to the defense.

“No, it was because-“ In a second Kylo’s face was on your level, seizing your cheeks between his fingers, holding you captive.

“I did not give you permission to speak to me, slut.” Your eyes blazed, but so did your blood, the sick thrill of his words awakening that sleeping beast in your mind. ”Oh, yes, imagine my surprise when I find out what you did.” He pressed his face closer, nearly nose to nose. “It didn’t take me long to feel out the strange energy coming off of Vicrul, to ransack his mind and figure it out. He tried to hide it, but he’s no match for me.” Fear for Vicrul settled like a brick in the pit of your stomach.

“I’m at perfect liberty to marry whomever I please. You don’t get a say!” Kylo froze, releasing your face from his grip and tilting his head slowly. You waited for him to scream again, to hit you, to do something, but he just stared, those dark eyes alight.

“What?” He spat, eyes narrowed, still so close to you, hand outstretched by your face.

“I’m tired of this.” You smacked his hand away, anger boiling up so high that it spilled from your lips before you could think better of it. “I’m sick of walking on eggshells around you, making decisions to do something or not do something because of fear.” His jaw quivered, but he listened without interruption. “So I’m getting married.” You growled, voice trembling. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.” You stared defiantly into his eyes. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Who?” It was several moments before he spoke, forcing the word out of the back of his throat.

“As if you don’t already know.” You scoffed, chest heaving.  
“What have you done?” He reached out as though to use the force on you, temporarily forgetting that it would be in vain. You blinked at him, your throat tightening painfully; What _had_ you just done? Did he truly not know about your engagement?

“What do you know?” But there was no way to back out now. If he didn’t know before, he would now. And you would have to be the one to tell him. He grabbed you by the throat, forcing you down onto your back, looming over you, black spots dancing around in your vision.

“I’m the one asking questions.” He spat, releasing his practiced pressure just enough to allow you a gasping breath. “Now tell me what you did.”

“Or what?” You choked, grinning as he bared his teeth. “You’ll kill me?”

“Commander,” Your gaze snapped up to a new voice at the door; Vicrul had skidded to a stop before you, unmasked, not sparing a glance for you. “If you would allow me to explain,”

“Traitor.” Kylo growled through his teeth, waving a hand and sending Vicrul flying sideways, crashing head-first into the wall beside your bed.

“Vicrul!” You yelled, reaching for him, but Kylo slapped you, your cheek stinging, and pressed his knee into your stomach.

“You fucking whore,” He growled, slapping you again. “I know you fucked that Resistance piece of shit. Now you’re marrying him, too?” You were really in for it now. The moment he found out it was Hux, he would march right down to his room and kill him where he slept. “Where’s your future husband to defend you now?” He mocked, tendrils of his sweaty hair touching the sides of your face from his close proximity.

“I’m right here.” You weren’t aware the situation could get worse, but, in fact, it could. Hux was standing in your doorway, flanked by four troopers, whose blasters were pointed at Kylo. Kylo looked between the two of you, mute with shock. “Release her at once.” Hux nodded at the trooper to his left and they came forward, aiming with fingers on the trigger. Kylo stood, jaw clenched, staring fixedly at Hux as he ignited his saber, an ominous red glow filling the room. You scuttled back out of the way, holding your breath as he pointed the crackling blade out toward the four troopers.

“Put it down, Ren.” Hux was trying very hard not to show his fear in his expression, but you could feel it radiating off of him like waves of heat. There was no doubt Kylo could too. “Don’t make me do it.” You’d never seen this expression on Kylo’s face before, vicious, sadistic; the type of expression you imagined a Sith would wear.

“Kylo, there’s no need to hurt anyone.” You took a small step toward him, reaching out. This seemed to trigger him into action, he pulled one of the middle troopers toward him with the force, slicing him clean in half. Someone was screaming as the severed legs of the trooper’s body landed at your feet, blaster fire ricocheting off the walls in zigzagging patterns, Kylo’s grunting as he deflected shots. You rushed forward, realizing with a start that the screaming was coming from you, trying to tackle Kylo before he could make another kill.

“STOP!” You screamed, catching his eye as a deafening silence erupted in the room. You looked around, everything frozen as though time had come to a complete and utter halt. As you locked gazes with Kylo again, you saw it. You were no longer on the Finalizer, you were somewhere else, bathed in red light, surrounded by twisted, bent trees, watching yourself as an observer from above. Kylo was there, too, standing across from you, hand outstretched. You hesitated for a moment, but placed your hand firmly in his, his gaze reverent, ferocious. Then the red aura swirled, you were somewhere else, together, two red lightsabers blazing against a dark night sky, fighting side by side. Together, moving as though one. You knew by the look of wonder on Kylo’s face that he was seeing it too. Sound returned, Hux was rushing over to you, grabbing you as though he would shield you with his own body. The final of the four troopers thudded to the ground, but Kylo sheathed his saber, his attention snagged on you.

“You will respect the authority of the Supreme Leader!” Hux was shouting, forcing you behind him with an arm around your waist. “If you have a problem with our union then you take it up with him!” You and Kylo were still staring at each other, unable to fathom what had just occurred between you. Was it prophecy? Could it have been a vision of the future? A strange sense of foreboding settled deep into your core as Kylo dropped your eyes and stormed away. Hux turned to appraise you, touching your throat, your cheek, looking over his shoulder worriedly.

“Are you alright?” You finally looked at him as though coming out of a trance, breath hitching with silent sobs, though your cheeks were dry.

“That’s not me. That’s not who I am.” You whispered, the images of you at his side, killing with him replaying over and over in your head. “Not me, not me, not me.” Hux was staring at you like you were insane, and perhaps you were.

“What’s wrong? What do you mean?” You pushed past him, ignoring his calls after you, sprinting down the hallway after Kylo.

You couldn’t see where he had gone, but as you wove through the halls, you just knew, somehow, that you were going the right way. You heard voices coming from a room just off the control area, entered so hastily that they hadn’t even bothered closing the door. You pressed yourself against the wall, listening in on the conversation.

“I don’t understand, why have you ordered this?” It was Kylo Ren, his reverence and respect of whoever he was speaking to edged with shaky rage.

“I have sensed much conflict in you since the girl arrived. That should trouble you.” A new voice, ancient and powerful, met your ears. The Supreme Leader.

“She is nothing to me.” Kylo spat; something in your chest panged.

“You cannot lie to me, Kylo Ren. I am privy to everything inside of your head. This is a test of your loyalty to me; let your anger burn inside of you, fill you up, ignite your power!” Kylo cried out in pain as though someone had struck him. You resisted the urge to rush into the room. “Without me you are nothing, without me you are left only with weakness.”

“I am loyal only to you, Supreme Leader.” Kylo forced out through gritted teeth.

“Let’s prove it, then.” The Supreme Leader said, a hint of a maniacal smile in his tone. “Perhaps it is time for me to meet the girl. She is standing just outside the door.” Your eyes widened, heart rate quickening. “Fetch her for me.” Before you could turn to make a run for it, Kylo had already grabbed you, dragging you forward into the room. You did not struggle, but steeled your face; you’d show him that you were not a force to be reckoned with. You weren’t sure what you had expected, but it wasn’t the giant in front of you. Supreme Leader Snoke was at least six times the size of a normal being, hairless and decrepit, long gnarled fingers curling around the arms of his gray, stony throne. It took you a moment to realize that you were looking at a hologram, the image glitching with a flash of white before your eyes. His wide-set, uneven eyes roamed over you while you glared back, staring at the giant scar-like rift in the middle of his head. Kylo had gotten down on his knee, inclining his head in a great show of respect.

“Ah, General Hux,” You and Kylo both whipped your heads around in sync, you hadn’t heard Hux enter, but there he was, flanked by Vicrul. They, too, sunk to their knees, bowing before their Supreme Leader. “Perfect timing. I was just meeting your betrothed. Congratulations to the both of you.”

“Thank you, Supreme Leader.” Hux rose, making no moves to come closer to you or to Snoke. Snoke’s attention came back to rest on you, those beady eyes searching for something within for silent moments before he spoke again. “I sense unease about my appearance.”

“Yes,” You replied defiantly, “Very much so.” Kylo rounded on you, lips curled into a snarl.

“You will show the Supreme Leader some respect!” You glanced back to Hux, who was pressing his mouth into such a thin line that his lips had almost disappeared. Whatever he could do to swallow back his laughter.

“Now, now, Ren, step back.” Kylo obeyed the Supreme Leader at once, dropping back into a kneel before him. “But I must agree with young Kylo Ren, it would be wise to show me some respect.” You opened your mouth to retort but Snoke continued on. “After all, I have the power to teach you to unblock your abilities.” Snoke sat forward, his giant head nearly level with your gaze. “I have the answers you seek.”

“Prove it.” You spat, seeing Kylo twitch out of the corner of your eye. So touchy when it came to his Supreme Leader. Snoke snorted, leaning back in his chair and regarding you almost lazily.

“Quiet your mind, let it all go.” You looked around at all of the prying eyes, muscles tensing as they stared. “Close your eyes, girl, they don’t matter.” You obeyed, breathing deeply, imagining yourself sitting alone in an empty room. After a few minutes, your body relaxed. “Very good, very good. A quick study.” You felt a presence combing through your mind, rifling through memories, pulling open doors that had long remained locked.

“You have wound yourself so tightly in your insecurities that you have buried your natural affinity for the Force.” Snoke’s voice echoed in your head, images dancing behind your eyelids.

_Your father was screaming in agony over the body of your mother, deathly white against stark pools of blood dripping off the bed onto the floor._

_“Save her!” He was begging the medical droid who was holding you, wailing and wrapped in a swaddle. “Save her!”_

_“She has lost too much, there is nothing we can do. You have a daughter.” It tried to hand you to your father, but he thrust you away, the droid nearly dropping you as it cried out._

_“Take it away, it killed her, it killed my wife!” Your father yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks._

_The scene changed, you were little more than seven, your father was berating you for dropping a dish, the glass shattered in pieces on the floor._

_“Inexcusable clumsiness.” He was saying, though he had been the one to bump into you after one too many drinks. “No daughter of mine would be such a disappointment.” You knelt down to clean it up, frantic with apology, cutting your hand on a particularly sharp shard. “Serves you right. You cause pain to everyone around you, including yourself.”_

_Now, you were 12, five years into the training program your father had sent you to to be a Resistance soldier. Mostly so he didn’t have to see you. It was your birthday, and you’d come home to find your father drunk at the kitchen table._

_“Another year passes, another reminder of what you took from me.” He said as a greeting. It had been a difficult day, and you’d had enough. Enough rolling over and taking your father’s endless insults._

_“It’s not my fault. Mother’s death was not my fault!” You screamed, slamming your tactical bag down on the ground. Your father stormed over to you, grabbing you by the hair and pulling with enough force to make you cry out._

_“You ungrateful bitch! I will not be spoken to in that tone!” He slapped you across the face, then again, and a third time so hard that your lip split open, blood dribbling down onto your chin. You did not cry out, you did not flinch, you would not give him the satisfaction that he could hurt you._

_“I’m sorry, father.” You spat, your swollen lip stinging as you spoke. He released you, shoving you so that you fell, then kicking you in the stomach. You gasped for breath._

_“Get out of my sight.”_

“You believe every word he told you, you take his words for truth.” Snoke’s bodiless voice was back, your resolve almost slipping. It was too much to watch it all back, to relive it over again. “Focus now, focus. Those were the words of a man in pain, a man taking his rage out on you. They were a lie, but all is not lost. You can embrace the pain, you can use it to make you stronger. I can teach you. I can sense the power in you, I feel it pulsing deep inside of you, begging to be released.” Somehow, you felt it too, something ancient and untouched deep within your bones. “You can become as powerful as the one who passed his legacy to you. More powerful, even.”

“Show me.” Your own voice echoed as though you were standing in an endless cavern, the darkness swirling like it was a living thing.

“He was a powerful warrior, as strong in the Force as they come. He could incite fear with a single look.” As Snoke spoke, you saw flashes of red and black, glowing eyes beneath a dark hood. You felt rage and a sinister evil, and pain… oh, pain like you’d never felt before. Like your body had been cut in half. You were falling, falling down so fast. It was over, you were dead! Then it all stopped, an image coming into focus. “You are his legacy, girl.” He was terrifying and intriguing all at once. You’d never seen anything like him in your life. His skin the color of fresh blood, striped with black, sharp horns growing out of the top of his bald head. His eyes glowed orange, rimmed in red. He truly was a Sith. He bent his knees into a fighting stance, igniting his lightsaber, which glowed red. Then he smirked, another blade coming out of the opposite side of the hilt. You knew that saber, you’d held it in your hands before, with Kylo in the training room. He twirled the blade, two opponents, Jedi, closing in on him. One was an older man with long brown hair and a tidy beard, wielding a green saber, the other, younger, with a thin braid over his shoulder, with a blue saber. The Sith fought them almost effortlessly, dodging their blows and using the Force to push the younger one away.

“He sired your grandmother.” Snoke said as you watched the impressive duel. “He was apprenticed as a young boy by Darth Sidious himself, though, he took many losses.” You watched the young Jedi slice him in half, and he fell down, down, down. “He survived, having the great vision to build his own empire, though his obsession with revenge ultimately led to his downfall.” You watched the young Jedi, now much older, strike him through. “You are the direct descendent of Darth Maul.”

“But… but how? He’s not… human?” You saw his face again, the skin, the horns, none of it bearing any resemblance to you nor the photos you’d seen of your family.

“He is Zabrak, a species from the planet Dathomir, who are part human from their initial creation. You are a hybrid, though as your grandmother inherited a majority of Maul’s human genes, you are nearly indistinguishable. But the Force works in mysterious ways, and it chose you to truly carry out his legacy, to wield his powers.” The vision in your mind went dark. “He was strong with the dark side, and you could be too. I can train you, I can teach you to unlock the ways of the Force, I can teach you to be so powerful that you are unmatched. You could destroy your enemies with a mere flick of your wrist.” There was a flash of white and you watched your father beat you with his belt, felt the sting on your back as though it was happening all over again. “You could take your revenge.”

“I-I’m not evil. I have no interest in revenge nor the Dark side.” But something was bubbling up from deep within, the thought of making your father suffer, making him pay for what he’d done to you through the years… he deserved it… After all, just because you learned the ways of the Dark Side did not mean you had to use it. Just to be taught the ways of the Force, to learn how to unlock your mind would be priceless. You thought of Leia, whether she knew this Darth Maul was your great-grandfather, whether she would train you herself.

“She won’t. She’s too afraid that you’ll turn out to be just like her son.” Snoke hissed, a vision of you and Ren standing together flashing before your eyes. Ren disappeared, leaving only you, holding Maul’s lightsaber. “But you won’t. You are stronger than him.” Something leapt in you at his words, the need to prove yourself, the thrill of being the best. You’d felt it with every commander you’d trained with, every whisper of praise from an authority figure. You opened your eyes, blinking and breathing heavily like you’d just been underwater, realizing with a terrifying start that you were floating three feet off the ground. Every eye in the room was fixed on you as you yelped, your body crashing down to hit the floor with a painful thump.

“Well, girl?” The old, giant Snoke tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne. You stood, brushing yourself off, and held your breath, considering. You thought of how it would feel to keep a secret from Leia, but also wiping the sneer off of your father’s face. Learning the ways of the Dark Side would only draw you closer to a path you did not want to walk, but also, with a sidled glance at Kylo, you would one day be strong. Perhaps you would even be strong enough to take down Snoke.

“I’ll do it.” Snoke grinned sinisterly, baring rows of sharp, rotting teeth. “I’ll train with you.”

“Excellent.” Kylo’s eye twitched with silent, smoldering rage as he watched you, fist clenched at his side. Had he seen the same scenes Snoke had played in your head? Did he know that Snoke thought you were more powerful than he was?

“This stays between us.” You looked around, noting the strange sort of pride on Hux’s face. “I don’t want this getting back to the Resistance, or to anyone else for that matter.”

“Of course.” Snoke replied coolly. It was dangerous, you knew, putting your trust in the enemy. It would be so easy for them to betray you, to twist the truth of what you were doing to their advantage, to make you look bad. But everything you were doing was a risk, and in looking at the bigger picture, this was one you would have to take.


	17. Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first training assignment by Supreme Leader Snoke has proven to be more difficult than you anticipated. Two of the men in your life surprise you with some interesting details from their past. You realize you may not be so different from your husband to be than you initially thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I told you that I love you guys so much? Literally, just always in awe that people are actually reading this!! 
> 
> I am having so much fun writing this, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. My Hux girls/gays/theys especially. ;)
> 
> More Kylo angst next week, and that's a promise!
> 
> PS: This fic is rapidly approaching 150 pages on my google doc in 11 point font. At what point do I consider this a novel? lmao

Meditation. That was the Supreme Leader's first assignment for you. You were convinced that the ease of clearing your mind in Snoke’s chamber had been a fluke; your internal chatter was so loud and incessant that most of the time you growled in frustration, giving up and pacing your room. It had been several days since you’d seen Kylo; after you’d agreed to train with Snoke he had stormed out, Vicrul following, looking exasperated. He’d not made a reappearance to guard your door either. You set a pillow down on the ground, leaning back against the cold metal of your wall, settling in with a deep breath, when there was a rapping at your door. Your eyes opened slowly, frustration near its boiling point in your blood, stomping over to the door and hitting the button to slide it open. Hux was there, a dumb little grin playing over his lips, which you mocked.

“How can I help you, General?” You spat with your utmost sarcastic sweetness, bowing dramatically.

“Well now I feel as though I’m interrupting.” He frowned, peering around the room as though he expected to find someone there.

“Astute observation.” You rolled your eyes, striding back to your makeshift meditation space and sitting tall, breathing deeply and closing your eyes. You sat in silence for a few moments, your heart pumping evenly in your chest.  
“I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight?” You opened one eye, eyebrow raised, his tall, lean frame standing with his back to you on the opposite side of the room, pretending to be extremely interested in the design carved into your wardrobe. You sighed audibly, shutting both eyes once more.

“Fine.” You replied nonchalantly, focusing on clearing your mind chatter, though you knew he had not yet gone.

“Well, I’ll see you later.” You ignored this, listening astutely to his footsteps growing faint, the hiss of the mechanism as the door shut behind him. You opened your eyes, banging the back of your head against the wall behind you a few times. Why was it so difficult to meditate? It seemed so simple, to think about nothing, but it was nearly impossible. Would Snoke punish you if you told him you’d been unable to complete his task? The thought might be thrilling if Kylo had been your teacher; his punishments were… creative, to say the least. You burned, thinking of the look in his eyes when he’d learned that you were engaged to Hux, a look that you could only describe as jealousy. An ache started in your chest, spreading down to your core, down your thighs… You jumped to standing before your fantasies could multiply like wildfire, until you’d have no choice but to slip your hand between your legs, to get some relief. You were stronger than that, you could control yourself.

You half expected Hereanula and Novaethele to show up at your door before dinner, to dress you to the nines, turn you into the beautiful senator’s wife you were to become, but there was no knock at your door. You finally drug yourself in and out of the bath, drying your clean hair and letting it flow loose down your back. Standing before your wardrobe, you flicked absently through your minimal outfit choices, settling on a black two piece set with sheer panels cut out in the sides of both the shirt and flared pants. The top was cropped, showing off the slimmest section of your waist, perhaps revealing a bit more cleavage than was necessary for simplicity of the occasion, but Hux was your husband to be. The art of seduction was, you knew, much easier with the help of a carefully chosen ensemble.

“Ap’lek,” You nodded a greeting at the Knight as you passed, who grunted in reply before falling into close step behind you. You arrived on the lower level outside Hux’s door, purposefully a few minutes later than you knew he expected you. Ap’lek stationed himself outside the door next to a stormtrooper, who opened it to admit you.

“Good evening,” Hux was standing in the antechamber to his quarters, wearing a fine gray dress uniform, though standing rather stiffly like he didn’t know what to do with his long limbs. “You’re late.” You could tell he was half-teasing, but you smirked anyway, gliding over to him and looking up into his face, a wolfish grin spreading over your lips.

“Fashionably.” You hadn’t noticed before, but he had grown out a short stubble over his normally clean-shaven jaw. It made him seem more human somehow, like you could pretend for a moment that he wasn’t just paces away from turning the galaxy into a fascist empire. Hux watched you watching him, flinching just slightly when you reached up to feel the scratchy stubble over his right cheek. “I like this,” You said, looking at him from up under your lashes. “You should keep it.” He flushed pink and stepped to the side, turning toward a door on the eastern wall.

“Very well, after you.” You bit the inside of your cheek to keep the snicker in, allowing him to usher you into a dimly lit chamber. A small, circular table dressed with a navy tablecloth was the only furniture, two carafes of wine and two plates hidden by shiny metal covers set up on top of it. You sat down at the table while Hux fiddled with a control panel on the wall. The whirring of a mechanism had the walls of the small room detracting into the ship, millions of stars shining their light in through the revealed glass. You looked out at them in wonder, distant planets blinking in the endless space.

“Do you like it?” Hux asked sheepishly, taking his seat opposite you.

“Like it? It’s stunning!” You didn’t even have to lie, it was truly a sight to behold. You tore your gaze from the stars, to find Hux already looking at you with a small smile on his lips.

“It can be any view you’d like.” He waved a hand toward the glass and the scene shifted. Suddenly you were surrounded by open ocean, looking out at clouds scattered low on high mountain peaks dotted with greenery. “Kashyyyk ocean view,” Hux murmured, waving his hand again. “Naboo waterfalls,” Huge waterfalls surrounded you, so close that you could hear the thunderous crashing of water, nearly feel the cool mist on your face. “Felucian jungles,” There were towering pink mushroom-shaped trees all around you now, giant clifftops mildly obscured by fog in the distance.

“It’s all beautiful,” You took a breath, feeling suddenly ashamed. “There are so many places in the galaxy I’ve never been.” You revealed honestly, looking away from the scene and down at the table.

“This is my favorite.” A dense forest, lush with green, appeared, strange, eerie birdsong echoing in the air. There was a hint of pine in the cool breeze that washed over you, like you were actually there.

“Where is this?” You asked, noticing how he looked out over the landscape with a hint of heartbreak in his eyes.

“Arkanis, the view from my childhood window.” He swallowed hard, eyes tracking a pair of long-necked birds soaring by over the top of the trees, tails trailing like streamers behind them.

“I like it.” You grinned at Hux, bringing him back from whatever dark place his mind had wandered away to. “Shall we eat?” You lifted the cover off of your plate, the savory scent of meat and freshly baked bread wafting to your nose. You ate in silence for awhile, sipping liberally at your wine, helping yourself to a second glass before Hux had finished his first. You knew that you needed to lay it on thick from now until the wedding if Hux was going to bring you further into the fold. Part of you felt guilty about manipulating him, but if it could prevent a war, it would all be worth it.

“How is your training with the Supreme Leader going?” Hux asked, a wave of irritation washing over you, half at his prying and half at your own ineptitude.

“It’s certainly going.” You failed miserably at keeping the bitterness from your tone, and he actually laughed, shooting you a teasing smile.

“Well, well, well, have we finally found something you’re not immediately great at?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” You plastered a smile on your face, ignoring the fact that his comment ruffled your feathers more than you cared to admit.

“You’ll improve with time and practice, just like anything worth doing.” Hux took a bite of his dinner, chewing thoughtfully. “I suppose you didn’t become such an adept warrior overnight?”

“I had a lot of rage to work through,” You admitted, shooting him a genuine, though wicked, grin. “That helped.”

“Your father?” Ice shot through your veins at his audacity, but you took a deep, settling breath, turning your expression to one of despair.

“I-” You sighed with faux shakiness. “It’s difficult for me to talk about.” Hux immediately responded, reaching across the table to put his hand on top of yours. You nearly broke your facade and snickered; he was making this too easy. He’d be in the palm of your hand before the night was through if you kept this up.

“I’m sorry,” He said, flustered. “I really didn’t mean to make you-” His thumb stroked the back of your hand. “I only asked because when I met him on Hosnian Prime, he reminded me of my own father.” Your gaze snapped up to him in true interest. You remembered how fiercely he had defended you all of those weeks ago, but up until now had thought very little of it. You’d shrugged it off as Hux trying to impress Leia. “My father was not a kind man. He was always angry, always… looking for some reason to blame me for his shortcomings. I was beaten, degraded, always made to feel like I had no redeeming qualities. But I certainly proved him wrong.” You shivered at the look of pure victory on his face, at the sheer glee of his power.

“What about your mother? Did she not have anything to say about it?” You inquired, wondering whether your own mother would have stepped in for you, or if your abuse would even have occurred if she had lived. Part of you couldn’t help but resent her for being so weak as to die during childbirth. Hux shifted uncomfortably, pulling his hand back.

“She was…” He trailed off looking down at his plate and pushing the remnants of his food around with his fork. “This is not something I like to bring up around my peers, but my mother was not my father’s wife. She was a common kitchen maid, and she bore me, my father’s bastard son.” You sat back in your chair, stunned into silence. You had no idea how similar your childhoods had been. High ranking military fathers, hated and abused because of the circumstances of your mothers.

“What happened to him?” You asked, your voice barely louder than a whisper. Hux’s eyes flickered with that look of victory and satisfaction again as he gazed upon you.

“I killed him.” A chill crept down your spine at the unadulterated pride in his tone. “No less than he deserved.” He gave you a knowing look. “No less than any abuser deserves.” He added, and your mind was reeling with fantasies of killing your own father, his lifeless body falling at your feet. Those orange eyes of Darth Maul replacing your own, shining from beneath a black cloak, holding his double-bladed lightsaber, your father’s head rolling across the ground. You pulled yourself back into reality, back into the room with Hux, the birdsong replacing the ringing in your ears.

“I think I’ve had too much wine.” You stood from the table, overwhelmed by the desire, the bloodlust you seemed to be unable to shake. Hux, concerned, came to you, grabbing your forearm with a gentle touch.

“I hope you don’t think less of me, I only wanted to be honest with you.” He was so tall, gaze so intense as you stared up at him. “I want us to be able to trust each other.”

“It’s not you, it’s-” It seemed that all the air in the room wasn’t enough, your chest heaved, you felt lightheaded.

“It’s okay for you to want him to feel what you felt, it’s okay to want revenge.” He touched your face, his fingers cool against your flushed cheeks. “I can tell you from experience how satisfying it is.”

“It feels wrong to want it so badly.” You admitted without thinking, unsure if it was to him or to yourself. He chuckled.

“It probably is.” He murmured, stepping even closer to you, so near now that you could count his pale lashes. “But it feels damn good knowing I dealt the final blow.” And then he was kissing you, his hands tilting your head up toward him, your fingers tangling in the short strands of hair at the base of his neck. He tasted like wine and his tongue met yours with surprising expertise for someone who you were quite sure was a virgin. But this evening had been full of surprises, so what was one more? He picked you up, carrying you over to the table and setting you on the edge, your plates toppling onto the floor with a shattering of glass. Neither of you stopped to assess the damage. You pulled away first, breathing heavily, hands gripping Hux’s collar, gaze locked on his. You were at a loss for words, you’d intended to kiss him tonight, but you’d expected to initiate, to suffer through it.

“That was… unexpected.” You flattened your palms against his chest, dragging them down slowly to the sides of his waist.

“But not unwelcome, I hope?”

“No, not unwelcome.” And somehow, it wasn’t even a lie.

You bid Hux goodnight, Ap’lek escorting you back to your room. You half-expected Kylo Ren to jump out at every shadowy corner, to somehow know what you and Hux had done, to make you pay for it. But he was not the one waiting for you in your room when you returned. There was a dark figure sitting on your bed when you walked in, the doors sliding shut behind you.

“Finally,” You recognized the low, gravelly voice, the helmet lying upright next to him on your comforter. “I was beginning to think you were going to stay overnight with Hux.”

“Vicrul?” You frowned, not going any nearer to him. “What are you doing here?” He stood, stepping out of the mildly obscuring shadow and into the light, where black and purple peppered his brown skin, a giant bruise swelling his eye shut. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Kylo’s reeducation.” You flushed with fury.

“For what? What reason could he possibly have to do this? Aren’t you supposed to be his most loyal soldier?”

“I _was._ ” He chuckled darkly, picking up his helmet and chucking it across the room. You flinched as it landed with a loud thump against the floor.

“Vicrul, tell me what’s going on. We haven’t had a proper conversation in weeks, and I’m getting concerned.” You picked up his helmet and brought it over, holding the cool metal out to him, waiting for him to take it. He didn’t.

“Trudgen has been promoted.” He reported bitterly, finally taking the helmet from you and tossing it back on the bed. “I have been _disloyal_.” His tone weighed heavily with sarcasm.

“Disloyal how?”

“I tried to lessen the blow for you with Kylo when he woke up, I let him find out about Dane because I knew he was gone. But you had to go and tell him about Hux.” He shook his head. “He could have murdered you.”

“Oh, yeah, his reaction would have been so much better if we had just waited until the wedding to tell him.” Now it was your turn to drip with sarcasm, throwing him an incredulous look. “You’ve been acting so strange lately, do you want to tell me what this is all about?” Vicrul paced the room, frustrated, then came upon you so menacingly you thought he was going to hit you.

“You don’t understand what it’s like for me.” He growled, narrowing his one good eye at you.

“Don’t I?” You huffed. “He beats me just the same as he beats you.” You thought for a moment, then smirked. “Well, maybe not exactly the same,”

“He is a tantrum throwing toddler. He doesn’t get his way, he rebels.” You widened your eyes at him, those were strong words for a man who was supposed to have an unwavering loyalty.

“I don’t disagree.” You blinked, folding your arms over your chest and waiting for him to go on.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, anyway. I was stolen from my family as a young boy, purposefully orphaned, raised to serve the strongest and most powerful person around me. At the time, that was Ren.”

“What do you mean, it _was_ Ren?”

“I’m not talking about the Commander. I’m talking about my prior master, Ren, a true leader, a conqueror of the Dark Side. Not like Kylo, not a boy playing pretend in his mask and cloak.” He spat, sighing sharply. “We bowed to him after he killed our leader but it’s become evident that Kylo Ren is not the most powerful force around me.”

“You lost me, Vicrul. What are you talking about?”

“I’ve never known you to be humble.” Vicrul faced you. “I’m sensitive to the Force, too. We all are, it’s a requirement to become a Knight.” You stared at him, at a loss for words. “I know you’re still learning, but I can feel the power in you, just like Snoke, just like Kylo, just like the other Knights.”

“So what? You want me to be your new master?” You couldn’t help but laugh, the thought was ridiculous at best.

“I’m saying Snoke knows he is risking a great deal in training you. He knows that you could be his greatest weapon, or you could be his downfall.”

“Vicrul, I can’t even properly meditate.” He dropped to a knee before you, gazing up at you with unabashed respect.

“Let me serve you,” He bowed his head. “Let me be your Knight.”

“Vicrul, I-” You looked up at the ceiling, “Get up, come on,”

“I’m serious.” He assured you, straight faced.

“You’ve just been beaten to a pulp by Kylo Ren, and you still want to do this? Won’t he be upset?”

“Kylo won’t know anything. I’ve just completed his reeducation, I’m back to being a loyal soldier.” He shook his head. “I’m duty bound to serve the strongest Force user, and I will protect you with my life.” You shifted uncomfortably, but ultimately this confession stroked your ego long bruised by your failed meditation attempts.

“Don’t you want to be free? Go off and find your family again?”

“This is what I want.” Something raw in his voice tugged at your heartstrings. “This is all I know.”

“Alright, fine. But if this is some sort of weird sex thing I’m going to let you go.” You joked, watching Vicrul raise his head, smirking.

“Only if you want it to be a weird sex thing, Master.”

“Don’t call me that.” You snapped. “And get up off the floor.” He stood immediately. You could get used to this. “Okay, now what?”

“Now, you meditate.” He lifted his helmet from your bed and pointed to your discarded pillow in the corner of the room. “Now, you accept your destiny.” He left not out the main door, but out the secret panel, which you supposed was not so secret anymore. You rolled your eyes, but sat down on your pillow, wondering how you could possibly meditate now after your eventful night.

Clearing your mind had proved impossible once more, so you succumbed to sleep. For once, you did not dream, but were awoken at an early hour by a rapid knocking at your door. Novaethele and Hereanula swept in, dressed head to toe in black robes, turning on lights and calling your name in their soft wind chime tones.

“Go away,” You groaned, pulling your pillow over your head.

“No, we must get your measurements for your wedding dress.” Hereanula said, pulling your comforter off of you.

“Why does it have to be today?”

“We’re already cutting it quite close, with the wedding being next month.”

“Next month?” You shot up, not exactly sure why you hadn’t expected this. But maybe it was all supposed to feel surreal until you were standing there in a wedding dress. In a month.

“A little less than that, now.” Novaethele corrected her sister. Your mouth fell open. “Surely you knew this?”

“Obviously not.” You shot back, nevertheless standing before them to allow them to take your measurements. When they were done, you stormed across the ship, finding Hux already dressed, working at a desk in his quarters with several holo guests in the chairs across from him. You stood silently, fuming.

“I apologize, something has come up. We’ll continue this conversation at our meeting next week. Same time.” One of the guests started to protest, but they disappeared before he could get a word out. “How may I help you?”

“A month?!” Hux folded his hands, looking down at the neat stack of papers before him. “Were you ever going to tell me that you set a date for our wedding? Or were you just going to have Hereanula and Novaethele wake up me up one morning and put me in a dress?”

“I meant to tell you last night, that was the purpose of our dinner, but I got a little...ah, distracted.” You glared pointedly at him. “Let me know who you’d like me to send invitations to.”

“We’re not eloping?” Hux wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Of course not. This union is unprecedented, people will travel far and wide to attend our ceremony.” Your stomach dropped. “We’re to marry on Hosnian Prime, the week before the vote for Chancellor.”

“Wow, I’m so glad to have heard it from you.” You threw yourself down into the chair opposite him, rubbing your temples.

“Having second thoughts?”

“No.” You flicked your eyes up to meet his. “I just don’t want this to start a trend of me being left in the dark.” Hux got up out of his chair and came to stand behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders and digging his thumbs into your tense muscles.

“You won’t be, I promise. This was an error on my part.” He twisted a small section of your hair around his finger and tugged gently. “In fact,” He let go and took a seat next to you on the other chair opposite his desk. “I think liaison is not a proper enough title for you. I want you to be our Ambassador. Officially.” He stood to pull a document from his desk. You skimmed quickly through it, noting the vague job description and sizeable salary.

“I’ll discuss it with Leia.” You lowered the paper into your lap.

“This is your decision alone. You read the description, it’s no more than you’re already doing, except I will pay you. What is there to discuss?” You sighed and read through the paper again. There seemed to be no hidden clauses or sly wording that would rope you into something larger than you expected. It stated that you would attend Senate gatherings, meet formally with the Resistance monthly, and sit on the First Order Council.

“All right, so eager for me to sign my life away to you. I’m already marrying you.” You snatched a pen from his desk and signed the paper, casually tossing it back in disarray with his perfectly organized stacks. His hand twitched like he couldn’t stand to leave it that way, but he swallowed and smiled.

“Life with you won’t be easy, will it?” He teased, that small smile growing. You stood, leaning down to get very close to Hux’s face, catching his sharp intake of breath. You pushed him back against the chair, bypassing his lips and whispering in his ear.

“If you want a submissive wife you’re better off choosing someone else.” You pulled back, patting his cheek twice, still prickly with stubble, and strutted out without looking back.

A week flitted by with very little activity, and the cryptic absence of Kylo Ren since your last encounter. Snoke also had not requested your presence again, and you were about fed up with the silence of your so-called teacher. What use were his teachings if he never reached out to teach you anything more? But perhaps it was that he was aware of your utterly disastrous attempts at meditation. Everytime you closed your eyes and settled down to focus on your breathing, every life event, significant or otherwise, seemed to play on a loop in your head. You’d just bloodied your knuckles punching the wall after a particularly frustrating string of attempts when a thought struck you. Nearly every time you’d successfully accessed the Force, you were drunk, or under some sort of chemical influence. You poked your head around the corner to Kuruk, who was standing outside your door. Vicrul had not returned to guard duty since your conversation the week prior.

“I need something to drink.” You could feel the waves of irritation radiating off of him.

“You have a sink.”

“No, I mean a real drink.” You took off down the hall before he could protest, leaving him no choice but to growl and follow. You took the stairs two at a time up to sky deck, where the previous Senate parties had been held. The room was dark and deserted, but glass bottles of various colored liquids sat undisturbed on the bar shelves in the middle of the room.

“Drinking alone?” Kuruk grunted as you carried two half-full bottles back with you down the hallway. You ignored this comment, nearly skipping back to your quarters. If this didn’t work, you didn’t know what else would. You took a swig from the first bottle, the liquid amber-colored and strong smelling. It burned all the way down to your stomach, your expression sour and unable to suppress an unflattering gag. You stoppered it, trying the other, which was electric blue. It was still strong, but much sweeter, and you drank vigorously. About a half hour later, the blue alcohol was gone, and settled into the pleasant buzz running through your veins. You sat down to meditate, the world spinning a little when you closed your eyes, but the swirling dark clouds that were your thoughts actually cleared. You felt the air entering and leaving your lungs, retreating further and further into yourself, all of your limbs tingling and then going numb. You felt like you were floating through space, untethered and unbothered with a destination. You simply existed, hanging there in that moment. You heard broken pieces of a deep voice from somewhere beyond, a deep well of hatred emanating like heat from a blazing fire.

“She-” The voice muffled again. “-to me. I want to-” You innately knew that this was the inner mind of Kylo Ren. You weren’t sure how or why you’d connected with him, but he didn’t seem to know that you were there. You stayed silent for a few heartbeats longer, trying to discern more, but it was all gibberish. You came back into your body, looking around. The data pad on your nightstand informed you that you’d been in a deep state of meditation for over two hours. It was strange, it had only felt like a few minutes at most. You stood, stumbling, catching yourself on the edge of the bed. Perhaps you’d overdone it a little, maybe next time you’d test the smallest amount of alcohol was actually necessary to allow you access to the Force. You stared at your bed, knowing full well you should get into it and sleep this off, but your body was aching for something else. It seemed childish and immature of Kylo to avoid you, but maybe he didn’t care. Maybe he really did think that you were no more than an experiment for the First Order’s lab, an object to protect. Every nerve in your body stung with rejection, but he seemed to have a very strong opinion about your engagement when he was killing guards on your behalf. You decided that you needed to confront him, to make him give you an answer. Before you could think better of it, you were climbing out of the secret panel, tripping over your own feet and slamming down onto your back. The impact had knocked the breath out of you, but apparently had not alerted Kuruk to your escape. You snickered quietly, stumbling down the hall toward Kylo Ren’s room.


	18. Yes, Commander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **TW** This chapter has heavy themes of sadism, dubious consent, delayed orgasm, and a touch of bloodplay. Please skip to the asterisk (*) about halfway down if you wish to skip it.
> 
> You confront Kylo Ren, demanding answers for why he has been avoiding you. You attend your first official lesson with Supreme Leader Snoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday! I've created some playlists on Spotify for Kylo, Hux, and Dane for your listening pleasure while you read. Just some songs that remind me of them, or that I've used to write some of my favorite scenes. They are linked in the main story description! If you don't have Spotify, lmk, I'm happy to make a youtube playlist or something so that everyone can have access!
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it ;) It's... spicy to say the least. Some of the visuals have been living in my head rent free all week..... *AHEM* Anyways, as always, thank you for reading, ilysm!!!

The hallways were eerily silent, echoing with your uneven steps as you tried your best to stay upright. But it was a small price to pay for the power you held in your hands now; your body sparkled with glee as you waved your hand at Kylo’s door, the Force sliding it open for you with barely a thought. And what was more, you could feel him. He was close. You walked into the center of the antechamber, sending out tendrils of energy to ask which door to choose. Darkness rippled back to you from the left, and you followed it through. There was the bed he’d fucked you on, the throne at the far end of the room he’d lounged on, but you didn’t see him here. You bumped into his desk, swearing quietly at the pain that coursed through the side of your left hip. But as you looked up, you felt the pull of energy again, dark energy, coming from a nondescript gray door immediately to the right of his throne. He was there, you felt the anger, the hatred, the frustration. Oh yes, he was there, but he wasn’t in a good mood. It should’ve scared you, but it only thrilled you more. Heart hammering against your ribcage, you waved your hand and the door slid open. For less than a second, he was kneeling before a sleek black table, something black and ruined perched atop it in a pile of what looked like ashes. Before you could get a better look, you were flying through the air, slamming against the wall, hitting the floor face-first with such force that you struggled to catch your breath. The world was spinning as you tried to pull yourself up, coughing, but you collapsed back down, black boots coming to stop in front of you.

“You have no right to be here.” He spat, using his foot to flip you onto your back so he could glare at you. “Lessons are already paying off, aren’t they?” His tone was laced with bitterness.

“What was that thing?” You asked when you’d regained control, sitting up slowly. Kylo had already shut the door containing the strange, twisted black effigy as you peered around him.

“It’s none of your business.” He squatted down to your level, gazing at you with a ferocity that made you nervous. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

“Why not?” You couldn’t help but retort, getting clumsily to your feet. A smirk spread menacingly over Kylo’s pink lips, one that caused you to ache with anticipation. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“You’re to be married to Hux, as you pointed out to me. I’ve been ordered to stay away from you.” You licked your lip, sore, swollen, and bleeding from where your face had collided with the ground.

“Since when do you follow orders?” With a wave of his hand, your body was ripped upwards from the floor like a ragdoll, slamming against the wall behind you with such force that you felt the bones in your spine pop.

“One cock never seems to be enough for you, does it?” He stopped right in front of you now, using his thumb to spread the dripping blood across your bottom lip. “You’re such a whore.”

“I’ve been called a whore so many times that it’s starting to lose its charm.” You taunted, grinning, your cheeks flushing when he gripped your jaw, tilting your head up. “Why don’t you pick another insult?” He narrowed his eyes and you felt an invisible pressure on your trachea, thinning, closing, you gasped for your next breath.

“You weren’t so bold the last time you were here, when you were begging me to fuck you.” The alcohol in your veins was like a tranquilizer to your common sense, a repellent to your sense of self preservation

“Well I guess I can be as bold as I want today, since I’m not here for that.” You glanced down the growing bulge in his pants, then back up to his eyes. “A bit unfortunate for you.” Breathing heavily, he let go of you, stepping back and attempting to compose himself.

“Then why are you here?” He hissed, flexing his hand like it was itching to hit you.

“It sounds to me like you’re afraid, Kylo.” His eye twitched. “Such a good dog that rolls right over when Snoke gives you a command.” You fell to your knees, your head feeling like it was going to split in two. You shrieked from the blinding pain of it, the agony unlike you’d ever felt before. Images were playing over in your head: Dane’s hands all over your naked, writhing body, you pleading with him to fuck you faster, your face as you came. Then Dane was taking you against the wall, hard and fast and desperate. Tears slipped down down your face as you watched him tell you he loved you, you told him to leave. Hux was kissing you now, setting you on the table, your hands clutching his collar to pull him closer.

“Please,” You begged for the pain to stop, to stop reliving these memories with Kylo as your audience.

“Too much?” He let up for a moment and you breathed out, sweat and tears dripping down your cheeks. “A bit unfortunate for you.” You clenched your teeth, waiting for the pain, but a different sensation swept over you now, shockwaves of pleasure causing goosebumps to erupt over every inch of your skin. There was direct pressure on your clit, but his hands were nowhere near you. You groaned, your legs squeezing together, then apart, bending and straightening in the wake of the overwhelming feeling. “Yeah?” He knelt over you, his thumb running again along your bottom lip. The pressure was gone as though it was never there, but you felt the aftershocks tingling up your nerves like an orgasm.

“Sounds to _me_ like you need a reminder of who you belong to.” He pulled you to standing with a wicked glint in his dark eyes. He strode over to his throne and sat down on it, beckoning you toward him.

“I don’t belong to any man.” You spat viciously, though you could hear your own words playing back on a loop in your head from the last time you’d been in this room. “Not Dane.” _“It’s yours, Kylo.”_ “Not Hux,” _“What’s mine?”_ “Not you.” _“Everything.”_

“Hmm,” The invisible pleasure was back, caressing your body, licking at your clit like a phantom tongue. You shivered, your knees quaking. “Tell me, do you enjoy being desired by so many?” The pleasure was getting so intense that it almost hurt.

“I-” You cried out, grabbing on to the edge of his desk to keep yourself upright. He laughed, a low rumble, pulling back just a moment or two before you knew you would go over the edge.

“You crave the attention, don’t you, slut?” He resumed his relentless attack on your clit with the Force, removing it again the second you felt your orgasm approaching. “Oh, yes, I know why you’re really here.” His eyes were blazing as the Force pulsed between your legs, coming and going, coming and going until you screamed in frustration.

“This is cruel.” You sputtered out, your legs buckling under your weight, tension wound so tight in your core you thought you’d explode.

“Oh, did you want to cum?” He asked mockingly, using the Force to pull you closer, to drop you to your knees before him. Every movement was uncomfortable friction against your swollen clit, everything was throbbing.

“Yes,” You breathed, looking at the ground.

“Yes, what?” He leaned forward, using the tip of his boot under your chin to force you to look up at him.

“Yes, Commander.” He swallowed hard as he watched you, his desire to take you leaching out of him so heavily that you could feel it too.

“Prove it.” He smirked. “Prove to your Commander that you deserve to cum.” He flicked his phantom tongue over your clit one more time just to drive his point home, making you shiver. You crawled forward, driven by the unbearable pressure between your legs, putting your hands on his knees and wrenching them apart. He sat back, resting his hands on the arms of the chair and watching you as you fumbled with the buttons on his pants. You pulled out his cock, standing up to attention, spitting down on it and stroking slowly without breaking eye contact.

“You want me to use my mouth?” You asked him huskily, licking your lips.

“It might help plead your case.” You ran your tongue from the base up to the tip, swirling around the head as his breathing picked up. His thighs flexed around you as you took his entire length into your mouth, cupping his balls in your free hand. He grunted as you choked on his girth, his hand tangling into your hair to push your head down further. Blood and saliva dripped from your mouth as you gasped for breath, motivated not by oxygen but by the feeling of his cock sliding in and out of your lips, the moans he elicited, the way he used you for his pleasure.

“Very good,” He pushed you off, you stared up at him for instruction. “But still not enough.” You whimpered, squeezing your thighs together to attempt some friction on your aching clit. “Get on your back.” You complied. “Take off your pants.” You slid them down, your underwear soaked through as you threw them aside. Kylo’s cock twitched as you spread your legs for him. “Touch yourself.” Your breath hitched, trembling with adrenaline as you brought your fingers to your mouth, sucking in your middle and ring finger. Kylo stroked his cock, still perching lazily on his throne, his gaze intense as you felt just how wet you were, flinching as your slick fingers brushed your sensitive clit. You closed your eyes and arched back as you circled it, the release of the pleasure immeasurably blissful.

“No,” Kylo snapped, your hand flying away from your clit without your consent. “Look at me.” You snapped your gaze back up to him, regaining control of your hand as you fingered yourself, rubbing your clit with your other hand. It was less than a minute before you felt the orgasm coming on again, your panting and moans building in intensity. “Stop.” You cried out as he took away your pleasure again.

“Please, Commander.” You whispered, voice ragged with desperation. “Please,”

“Come,” He beckoned you forward and you climbed onto his lap. He pulled your shirt over your head, tossing it aside, palming your breasts with both hands, pinching your nipples so hard it stung. You groaned as he brought his mouth to your chest, replacing his fingers with his teeth. You grabbed his shoulders for purchase as he yanked your hips forward, entering completely with no warning, no time to allow your body to stretch to his girth. No, he was already bouncing you hard and fast on his lap, digging his nails into your waist.

“You fucking slut, you’re mine.” He growled, slapping you so hard that hot blood spilled freely down your face, ignoring your cries of pain that were fading quickly into moans of pleasure. “Say it.” Every slam of your skin against his was pressure against your G-spot and clit simultaneously, your vision sparkling with black dots. “SAY IT.”

“I’m-” You arched as the pressure mounted. “Oh, Kylo,” His thrusting slowed to a crawl and you grunted in protest.

“Look at me.” You stared into his brown eyes, alight with desire, lust, fury, so many emotions that the rest of the room ceased to exist. “Say it.” He murmured, pressing his forehead against yours.

“I belong to you, Commander.” And somehow you felt more sober in that moment than you had all night, maybe your whole life. “I’m yours.” The Force pressure was back on your clit, stimulating and circling and vibrating you into a powerful orgasm. As you tightened around him, he found his release, and you collapsed forward into his chest in the aftermath, a twitching, trembling mess. You both panted together, still connected, his chin resting on the top of your head, his hands still gripping your hips.

* “Get up.” You opened your eyes a centimeter at the sound of a rough voice, the light burning, everything a little hazy. “Get up!” Someone shook your shoulders and you groaned, turning over and burying your face in your pillow.

“Go away.” The blanket was snatched away and you whipped around, almost immediately falling back. Your head pounded, nausea hitting in giant waves and rising up into your throat.

“Hux has already been to your room asking for you. You’re lucky I was there to intercept him.” You blinked, looking around. Vicrul was standing before you, expression sour, but it wasn’t his presence that made you curse under your breath. You were in Kylo’s room, in Kylo’s bed, wearing not one stitch of clothing. Vicrul handed you a bundle of black. “Go take a shower and get dressed. I told Hux I’d take you to him when you were out of the bath.” He looked you up and down, rolling his eyes. “It’s on you to explain the busted lip.” You brought your hand to your bottom lip and sighed sharply; It was swollen and scabbed over. Your entire body ached as you moved to stand, blurry memories of being slammed against walls and floors making you wince. Vicrul was holding Kylo’s bathroom door open for you, avoiding looking at you. You weren’t sure if it was out of respect for your modesty or because he was disappointed in you. You suspected the latter.

“Where’s Kylo?” Vicrul huffed, shaking his head and pushing you in, shutting the door behind you. As you were faced with the dark-tiled bathroom, large mirror on one wall with a sleek sink, a large walk-in shower on the other, you were overcome with nausea. You barely threw yourself down at the toilet before vomiting down into the bowl. The alcohol had tasted much better going in than coming out, and you vowed that you would train harder in meditation to avoid ever feeling like this again. You showered and dressed, a simple pair of black pants and long-sleeve shirt with a leather harness around your waist and shoulders to hold your blade. You pulled your wet hair into a braid and dry heaved only twice before taking a last glance in the mirror, the foggy condensation fading rapidly. You looked like bantha shit, there was no amount of makeup in the galaxy that would fix your lip, though at least you’d been able to scrub off all the dried blood on your chin.

“Vicrul,” You called to the stoic, brooding knight that was standing outside the bathroom door. “Can I at least have some salve for my lip?” He looked amused.

“No.” He tugged you out of the bathroom and handed you a glass of water and two pills that you recognized as a pain reliever. You downed them gratefully. “I’ll be as interested as Hux to hear your excuse.”

“Fuck you.” You spat, but lacked conviction.

“I think you’ve done quite enough of that.” He pointed out as you limped forward, your back twinging with each step. You stopped mid-stride and glared up at him, shaking your head.

“Fine, fuck off.” You attempted to use the Force to shut Kylo’s door in his face, but of course, nothing happened. You stormed off to Hux’s room with your blood boiling.

Hux was at his desk when you entered his study, barely glancing up from his datapad as you approached.

“Ah, wonderful, you’re here. I’ve called a meeting with the council to discuss setting aside part of the ship for intergalactic relations. Should I be elected, I think more people will make use of it than we thin-” He stopped short as he got a good look at you. “Your lip!” He dropped the datapad down and rounded the desk, using his index finger to gently tilt your chin up, running his thumb softly over your scab. “What happened?”

“Training with Vicrul.” Hux tutted, turning your face to the side to get a better look at the damage.

“No more training.” He released you, raising his eyebrows. “At least not until after the wedding.”

“Is that an order, General?” You muttered, folding your arms and staring defiantly up at him.

“No.” He grinned and stroked your cheek with the back of a finger. “A mere request from your soon-to-be husband.” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes when he turned his back, nevertheless following him upstairs, past the main hangar and into the meeting room.

“Finally.” You turned your head at the deep, mechanical drawl from the back end of the room. There sat Kylo, back in his helmet, hiding the eyes you knew were trained on you.

“I ordered this meeting, Ren, and it starts when I arrive.” Hux spat across the table, taking his seat at the opposite head chair. Half the room winced at Hux’s retort, looking between the two men in fear of Kylo’s reaction. You sat down at Hux’s immediate right, in full view of Kylo’s displeasure.

“I’d be careful how you speak to me. You wouldn’t want your wife to have to take your punishment again, would you?” Rage and lust crept along their respective borders in your veins, but the line was far too thin. Hux’s jaw was twitching, working furiously to bite back his reply, if only for your sake. “Although,” Kylo continued, and you tensed. Whatever he was about to say couldn’t be good. “I've found her to be a bit of a masochist, I think she li-” Hux flew up out of his chair so fast that you barely had time to catch his wrist and pull him back.

“How dare you speak about her that way. How dare you insult her!” Hux was working himself purple, the rest of the council silent, staring down at their hands awkwardly. Kylo leaned back in his chair, interlocking his fingers behind his head, and you could picture the exact smirk that was hidden by his mask.

“Get ahold of yourselves.” You hissed, releasing Hux’s wrist tentatively. “We have important topics to discuss today, and I refuse to let this schoolboy’s squabble take up any more of our time.” Several of the council members gave you surprised nods of approval, shuffling their papers and tapping on their datapads. Hux cleared his throat and returned to his chair, folding his hands on the table.

“You’re right, of course.” He leaned just slightly so that his arm rested against yours, a gesture you had the feeling Kylo noticed.

The rest of the long meeting went without interruption, though Kylo’s irritation was apparent even without full use of your powers. _Good,_ you thought, _Let him be upset._ After publicly embarrassing you in front of the entire council, that was the least of what he deserved. Kylo hung back as the rest of the council made their way out, as though he was trying to get you alone, but you turned to Hux, milking your dismay for all it was worth.

“I’m sorry,” Hux turned to face you, true regret on his face. Kylo had begun to leave, but paused in the doorway, facing Hux’s back.

“It’s just not fair that he can say whatever he wants with no repercussions!” You sighed, pretending to blink back angry tears. You glanced quickly at Kylo, who was shaking his head, leaning back against the wall to watch the show. Well, if that was how it was going to be, you’d have a little fun with it.

“I’ll speak to the Supreme Leader about his behavior.” You stepped closer to Hux, pressing yourself against him, laying your head on his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist. He stiffened for a moment, then melted into you, bringing his arms around your shoulders, pulling you closer into him.

“Thank you.” You murmured, turning your head up to gaze at him. He took the bait like you knew he would, bringing one of his large hands to your cheek, pressing his lips gently against yours. You deepened the kiss, ignoring the stinging pain in your lip as you opened your eyes, catching a glimpse of Kylo’s clenched fist before he stormed out. There was a huge crash just outside the door and you both jumped apart, rushing out to investigate. A surveillance droid was in pieces on the ground, the lights flickering in the hallway as exposed wires and insulation sparked and sputtered from a giant slash in the wall. It was as though someone had taken a lightsaber and ran it through, warping the metal and melting everything inside.

“He is a menace.” Hux insisted that you spend the rest of the afternoon in his office with him.

At dinner, a trooper delivered you a message that you were to meet with Snoke that night. You abandoned your food and headed to the large room to await his presence, but found the room was already occupied. Kylo was kneeling before the giant holo, breathing raggedly and grimacing in pain, while Snoke looked on in wicked glee.

“Ah, you received my message.” Snoke held out a hand to urge you forward to stand next to Kylo. Kylo was dripping with sweat, grimacing, the tendons in his neck standing out as he struggled to keep his reaction contained.

“What are you doing to him?” You asked, a little timidly, yet not reaching out to help him either. Snoke ignored you, apparently letting up on whatever punishment he was inflicting, as Kylo slumped to the floor.

“See to it that we don’t have to meet like this again, Ren.” Snoke reprimanded, though his demeanor did not match his words.

“Yes, Supreme Leader.” Kylo got to his feet, bowed, and left the room without sparing you a single glance.

“Let’s see how your progress has been.” Snoke closed his eyes, reaching out a hand in your direction. You stayed still, not quite sure how to react, a little nervous that he would punish you in the same manner as Kylo once he found out how horribly your meditation attempts had gone. Nothing happened. “You show promise, but it means nothing without practice.” Your stomach dropped into your toes, the familiar feeling of shame prickling over your skin.

“I tried, I worked really hard, but my mind just couldn’t seem to quiet. I don’t know why I-”

“Excuses.” Snoke hissed, and somehow you were hearing your father’s voice. “I gave you a simple task and you failed.” Your throat was tight and painful now, you willed tears not to fall from your burning eyes. “But I am generous. I will walk you through it just this once.” You steeled yourself and nodded, but the terrible rush of relief was unmistakable. “Sit and close your eyes, focus on your breathing.” You complied, feeling a rush of tingling down your arms into your hands. “The Jedi Code teaches that the Force is present in all things, and all things are living through it. At its core, it is a true statement, but it lacks the conviction that gives a Force wielder true power. Through mastering the Force, through power, you gain victory. Only through victory can your chains be broken, only then can you be set free.” As you listened to his words, each breath became something else, something more. You could feel power seeping through the room, tucking itself into every corner, searching for something. At first you thought it was Snoke, but every beat of your heart was whispering a different truth.

“Yes, I can feel it.” You mumbled, half to yourself.

“This is miniscule compared to what you’re capable of. Dig deeper.” Snoke commanded, but you hit a block, as though running into a solid wall in your mind. “Come on, girl, don’t let your weakness become a crutch.”

“I can’t get past, it’s-” Your head ached as you strained to push past your mental blockade, but it refused to budge.

“You can’t? You can’t? All I hear is weakness.” You cried out in frustration. “You can’t move forward without reliving your pain, accepting it. You have to use your anger!” It was as though something inside of you popped, exploding into a million tiny pieces of shrapnel, and the room beyond was no more. You were enveloped in pain, watching yourself endure the abuse at your father’s hands all over again, feeling every blow, hearing every insult, taking it all at once without fighting back. Your father was right, you were weak, you were unworthy, Snoke was wasting his time trying to train you. You would never be able to turn the pain into something malleable. Your father’s screams echoing in your head, your consciousness came back to the room, your eyes opening. Every steel panel had been ripped from the walls, all of them wrinkled and dimpled as though they were mere pieces of paper.

“Good, good.” Snoke was smiling, the effect on his scarred and wrinkled skin unsettling. “Lean into your pain, feel the Force through its lens. Your passion can only make you stronger.” Your chin trembled, but you forced yourself to think of your father, of how it felt to be hurt by him, of how it would feel to hurt him in turn. You raised your hand feeling an invisible tether tighten under your command. All of the metal panels floated up off the ground and hovered for a moment. With a cry worthy of battle, you threw them across the room, where they landed in a dented pile. Snoke’s euphoric cackles echoed in your mind as you made your way back to your room.


	19. Daughter of Maul, Son of Vader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As your wedding nears, you receive another task from Krisara to help her move closer to locating her sister. Your Force powers are growing, but will you be able to keep the Dark Side from taking root?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, please listen to Die For You by the Weeknd while you read the second half of this chapter. I had so many feels writing the last scene. AHHH. I hope you do too! 
> 
> So appreciative of all the love and support, as always!! See ya next Tuesday :)

You were restless. There was nothing to do now but sit and wait for the day of your impending departure to Hosnian Prime, to sit and meditate, to float small objects up into the air and down again. It was relatively simple to slip into memories of your mistreatment now, though what was once aching resentment toward your father was turning into violent hatred. One particular night, you came out of a trance-like meditation state shaking and nauseous, crawling toward the bathroom to vomit. It always seemed too real, your skin always stinging like your father had actually been hitting you again, mind reeling and echoing with his abuse. As the ringing in your ears faded and you began to come back to reality, you heard a very faint sound coming from inside your wardrobe. Wiping your mouth, you strode over, opening the ornate doors to find the source of the tiny rattling. It was the ring that Krisara had given you weeks ago, lying on the bottom of the wardrobe in between a pair of your black boots. You picked it up, turning it over in your palm, observing the small vibrations it was emitting, confused. You’d taken it off the night you’d received it and hadn’t thought about it again; Was it more than just an accessory? You slipped it back on your middle finger and a tiny holo appeared, Krisara’s face hovering just above the matte black twists of metal.

“Finally,” She breathed, looking over her shoulder. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for over two weeks.”

“You could have told me this was more than just a ring.” You said, annoyance prickling at your temples.

“Well I didn’t give it to you as a gift.” She huffed, like it had been obvious. You bit down on the inside of your cheek to keep from retorting. “We need to meet. Tomorrow night I’ll be in the kitchens off the main mess hall around two o’clock. Join me then.” She leaned in and whispered. “And keep your ring on from here on out.”

“Fine.” You snapped, irritated at the fact that she was giving you orders. The holo disappeared as quickly as it had come, and a lonely silence enveloped the room.

The next night, you returned to your room after a private dinner with Hux in his quarters, listening half-heartedly to him drone on about wedding plans. You supposed it was lucky that one of you had an eye for design. If it was up to you, you’d have a private ceremony here on the Finalizer with as few witnesses as possible. But the way Hux made it sound, half the galaxy would be in attendance. Cardo was outside your door tonight, standing guard as you lay awake in your bed, fully clothed, watching minutes tick by. You hopped down out of your secret panel at ten minutes to two, pressing yourself against the wall at every corner and listening acutely for guards. The corridors were clear as you made your way into the dark mess hall, careful to avoid any hastily tucked chairs and table legs. There was an archway in the back corner of the room that led to the kitchen. It was strange to see the room so cool and silent, normally bustling with all manners of people and droids, the clattering of silverware, the warm wafting of delicious scents. Now it all seemed… sterile, somehow. Like you were in the medbay.

“Krisara?” You called out, your voice barely louder than a whisper. You looked around, the steel appliances little more than gray blocks in the darkness. You were just outside the cabinet doors of a large pantry when someone grabbed you, pulling you sideways inside and shutting the doors gently, avoiding the slam. You had your knife in your hand before you made impact against one of the tall shelves, but Krisara put her finger to her lips, peeking out the crack in the doors. You heard the distinct whirring of a surveillance droid, the red light of its detection beam glowing throughout the kitchen. It seemed like an eternity before it finished its scan, moving out into the mess hall without a fuss.

“Thank you for coming.” She said finally, breathing a sigh of relief and watching you stow your knife back on your thigh harness. “You’re marrying him.”

“Yes.” You stared at her, but she seemed to be waiting for you to elaborate. “I assumed you’d be pleased.” Krisara smiled, looking down at the floor.

“I wasn’t sure if…”

“Don’t tell me you thought I was marrying for love.” You scoffed, looking at her incredulously, and she had the nerve to laugh.

“Your affections do seem to be genuine.”

“Well lucky for you I can play my part well.” You shifted nervously on your feet, perking your ears for any sounds from outside the pantry. “Now, what do you need? Why is it so important that we meet tonight?”

“Right, right, straight to business, then. Your position close to Hux will gain us access to all sorts of things we would never otherwise be able to get our hands on. We’ve tried hacking the system, but it’s protected too well and we can’t even get through the first layer of firewall. Hux has information on the locations of the labs and test subjects on his datapad, or somewhere in his private office. I’ve been trying to gain access to it for the last few months to no avail. But I doubt anyone would question your presence in his private quarters. Do you think it would be too difficult to get inside alone?” Your stomach churned. No, you knew it would be quite easy depending on how far you were willing to go.

“I’m the ambassador for his political opponent, I don’t know how willing he would be to open up his personal files to me.”

“Yes, but your new title will take precedence.” She gazed at you, tears suddenly sparkling in her eyes. You felt her profound sadness, her desperation, but shining above all, you felt her hope. You backed away from the Force, building a mental wall against Krisara in your head, and your feelings were your own again: Anxiety, impatience, frustration that she would ask so much of you. You would be risking your position for her. “Is the marriage a sham on both ends?” She whispered, putting a hand on your arm. You thought for a moment.

“I don’t think so.” You sighed, “Fine, I’ll figure it out. I’ll get the information for you.”

“If you can pull this off, you will save not only my sister’s life, but many others. You have my gratitude.”

“I’m not doing this for you. The Resistance will want the locations of these labs to raid and shut them down.”

“That’s what we’re counting on.”

“Right, and who is ‘we’?”

“Did you think I was running this operation by myself?” She rolled her eyes and tucked her brown hair behind her ear. “There’s a group of us who have seen the devastating effects of the First Order, forced to participate in raids and executions that we don’t stand for. We call ourselves The Insurgence.” She grabbed your hand and pointed to the ring on your finger. “And you’re our newest member.”

You grumbled a little on your way back to your room, now that you were apparently part of two resistance organizations against your future husband. Krisara had taught you how to contact her using the ring once you had the information she needed. A burning flash of anger through your chest made you pause in the hallway, just a few paces from the secret panel, from safety. You closed your eyes and felt around with the Force, only to find that the emotion didn’t belong to you. Kylo was awake in his room, ranting and raving about something. A part of you, larger than you’d like to admit, longed to go to him, to touch him, to let him use and abuse you. But the longer you continued fucking him, the cockier he was getting, and you were afraid that soon he would tell Hux out of spite. Taking a deep breath, you climbed back into your room and into bed. You did not practice meditation like you normally did before sleeping, lest you were tempted to explore the deep and twisted mind of Kylo Ren.

The days before you left for Hosnian Prime were waning, and if you hoped to gain access to Hux’s office before the wedding, you were going to have to step up your game. You visited him in his office and tried, subtly, to get him to leave, asking him to fetch you things, asking questions you knew he wouldn’t have the answers to; but he seemed to have an endless number of people at his disposal to do his bidding. You scowled at every empty-handed trip back to your room, sitting on your bed and scheming. You decided that the next day, the very last before you left for Hosnian Prime, you would feign illness and sneak into his office during the council gathering. You requested Vicrul as your guard the night before, to which Trudgen only grumbled a little that it wasn’t up to you. The next morning, however, Vicrul was there when you awoke. You stuck your finger down your throat and vomited very loudly into the toilet. The sound was so violent that Vicrul rushed in, hand on his weapon like that would make a difference. You flushed and turned around to face him, tears streaming down your cheeks and looking as pitiful as you could muster.

“Will you inform Hux I’ll be unable to attend the council meeting?” Vicrul eyed you suspiciously.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I think I ate something bad at dinner last night. My stomach’s been killing me since ever since.”

“Maybe you should go to the medbay.”

“I’m fine. I’ve had food poisoning before, it will go away when it all comes out.” Vicrul wrinkled his nose.

“Alright.” He brought out his comm and tapped into it. “Carry on.” You dry-heaved a few times again for good measure before climbing back into bed to wait.

You snuck out the panel a few minutes before the meeting started, trying not to look conspicuous as you strode through the halls, more crowded during the day. You’d learned long ago that someone who moved like they were supposed to be there was questioned far less often than someone sneaking around. If detection was unavoidable, that is. A stormtrooper guard stopped you at the door to Hux’s quarters.

“General Hux is not in.”

“I’m not here to see him. I need to look for a bracelet I left here last night.”

“You may look when the General returns.” The trooper stood back to attention, indicating the conversation was over.

“I am his betrothed.” You hissed, stepping closer to them and staring up into the blank depths of their helmet. “Would you like me to tell him that you gave me a hard time?”

“Well, no, er-” He stammered, looking over his shoulder and sighing. “Fine. Be quick about it.”

“I’ll take as long as I need.” You replied coldly, strutting inside and closing the door behind you. You strode through the antechamber and into Hux’s office, empty and stacked neatly with books and file folders. It occurred to you then, standing before his desk and rifling through the piles, that Hux had probably taken his data pad with him to the council meeting. You swore under your breath but kept searching, digging through drawers until you came across one that was locked. You looked up above the desk to ensure no one was coming, and slid a pin out of your hair to pick the lock. This desk had to be ancient if it was still equipped with a manual lock; luckily you had taught yourself the dying art as a young soldier, to be prepared for any occasion. Though, admittedly, today was the first day it had actually come in handy. The mechanism clicked and the drawer slid easily open. You found stacked papers and a datapad, blinking with unread comms. It unlocked without a passcode, a truly pompous move by Hux, but all the easier for you to snoop. You scrolled through files, financial records, and stormtrooper ID codes, but there seemed to be nothing of interest. Disappointed, you swiped into the comm cache, the name Rhysio Daivik catching your eye. You scrolled through the messages with the contact, whose identity was set to anonymous, and gasped.

_I did not agree to an assassination._ Hux had typed.

_You inquired about a way to extend the First Order’s reach in the Senate. I owed Rhysio Daivik a favor. The way is paved for you to become Chancellor._

_This is a plot that could be too easily unraveled. Especially while he is present on my ship._

_Relax. My contacts and dealings with him are untraceable. You must keep him hidden for the time being, it was part of our deal. Once you become Chancellor you can urge the Senate to focus their security elsewhere and he can slip back into whatever grime hole he came from. I’m sure one of us will be able to provide an adequate threat._

_My patience runs thin._

_The feeling is mutual. Tell your Supreme Leader that Kylo Ren must stop being so obvious. I can only clean up his messes so many times before the New Republic starts to notice._

The message thread ended, and you stared at it wide-eyed. This was cold, hard proof that Hux knew about the assassination, and though he had not planned it himself, he knew who executed it. Something tugged on the edge of your attention, a feeling or a sound, some premonition that someone was coming. You dropped the datapad back in the drawer and shut it, unable to lock it back and rush out of the office at the same time. Vicrul stood coolly against the door frame, arms folded, gaze flickering with smoldered anger.

“Thought you could slip away so easily, did you?”

“I left a bracelet here last night.” You pulled a silver cuff from your pocket and held it up to glint in the light. “I’m doing nothing wrong.”

“Impressive. Now imagine I’d been Hux, alerted by my faithful guard that someone had been permitted entry to my office.” He shifted his weight and sneered. “That was seconds away from being your reality, had I not intervened.”

“I have my ways of dealing with Hux.”

“I’m sure you do.” He looked you up and down, expression turning predatorial. Discomfort settled like a brick in the pit of your stomach. “What do you have between your legs that makes all the powerful men so feral for you?” You stepped back.

“Why? Aching to try it?” Vicrul laughed humorlessly, stretching up to his full height.

“I am driven by more than lust. You would be wise to learn to do the same.”

“Don’t presume to know my intentions, Vicrul.” Something malicious was slithering through your veins, your anger mounting.

“I’m your knight. I know more than you give me credit for.” You shifted your balance back and forth between your feet, thinking for a moment.

“Do _you_ know the locations of the First Order’s secret labs?”

“No.” Something in his tone infuriated you, he was lying, he was deliberately hiding things from you, the one he claimed to serve. You would not be fooled by such a ruse.

“Liar.” You raised your hand, some dark instinct taking over. Vicrul grabbed at his neck and choked, his feet swinging as he dangled above the ground. “Do you take me for a fool?” His body zoomed toward you, landing in a heap on the floor. You knelt down next to him, racking his brain, picking out jumbled images of screaming, writhing bodies on cold, sleek tables, but no indication to where they might reside. You came back to your body, adrenaline and rage making your limbs shake. You got to your feet and backed away, so horrified that you slammed against the far wall and slid down it. This was not who you were, you did not get what you wanted by forcibly taking it, mowing down others in the process. Not even if the obstacle was your enemy. Worst of all, you barely had to think about it. It had been merely a reflex. Darth Maul truly lived on inside of you.

“Vicrul, I’m sorry,” You crawled over to him, setting a hand on his shoulder, but he was smiling.

“I see it now,” He said, over and over, but he would not elaborate.

Hux stopped by later that afternoon to check on you, none the wiser to the incident in his office. It took everything in you not to demand answers the second he appeared, to force him if you had to, but your loss of control this afternoon made you fearful, who could you trust when you couldn’t even trust yourself?

“Will you be well enough to travel this evening?” Hux sat at your bedside and put his hand on your calf, covered by the comforter.

“Yes,” You forced a gentle smile. “I’m already feeling better.”

“We’ll travel overnight, so you can sleep on the ship. I’ll ensure a bed is prepared.”

“Thank you.” Hux nodded, taking his leave. You sat up, hugging your knees into your chest. Was the dark side already taking root? If you learned this way would you be able to find your way out and back to the light? You thought of the young boy Kylo had once been, Ben Solo, a product of two of the greatest heroes the Rebellion had to offer. Yet here he was, red lightsaber and all. How could you ensure that you didn’t end up standing where he stood?

It would make very little difference climbing out the secret panel now that Vicrul knew it existed. You told Vicrul point-blank where you were going, and though he pitched a small fit, you knew that he wouldn’t try to stop you. You hesitated outside Kylo’s door for several minutes, attempting to talk yourself out of what was sure to be a poor decision, when the door slid open. You drank Kylo in; he was bare-chested, clad only in a pair of loose fitting gray linen pants, his hair tousled as though he had been asleep.

“Your contemplation is loud.” Dark circles were prominent under his eyes. “What do you want?”

“If you can read my mind now, why ask?” Kylo’s lips did not curve into their usual smirk. You thought to attempt another snide remark, but stayed silent, the intensity of your eye contact like a drug.

“I told you to stay away.” He said finally, not moving from the door frame to admit you.

“Did you?” You held your breath as you waited for him to reply, to touch you, to hit you, to do _something_. “I’m leaving tonight.” Your voice came out a whisper, raw, vulnerable, grieving. Kylo sighed, looking over your head at Vicrul, and then pulled you roughly inside.

“You’re afraid.” He said once you were sealed in the room together, alone at last.

“Why did you do it?” You breathed, surprised to find tears stinging at your eyes. “Why did you turn to the dark side?” Kylo’s jaw feathered, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side.

“It’s not about that. It’s not about good versus evil, dark versus light.” His gaze flickered back to yours. “Jedi versus Sith.”

“How can you say that?”

“You’re missing the point.” His tone stung and you flinched as though he’d backhanded you. “It’s about power.” He held up his hand. “It’s about strength.” A decorative metal paperweight that had been sitting on his desk floated over to him, collapsing in on itself in his outstretched hand. “It’s about control.”

“But-” He silenced you with one look.

“The ones who say they fight for the light, for the good,” The crushed ball was becoming a fine powder that spilled onto the floor. “They want the same thing that everyone wants. And sometimes they’ll sacrifice the ones they claim to love for the so-called greater good.”

“People make mistakes. It’s a condition of humanity.” You countered, thinking of Leia’s kindness to you.

“Some mistakes are unforgivable.” He stepped toward you. “Would you forgive your father?” Your lower lip trembled. The only image you could conjure was your father’s head rolling in the dirt at your feet. Kylo chuckled, “I thought so.”

“It’s not the same. We’re not the same.” You struggled to convince even yourself that you were being honest. Kylo hooked his index finger under your chin and tilted your face up to him; it was the gentlest he’d ever handled you.

“We are.” His eyes blazed. “We are the same.” You could do nothing but gaze at him, intoxicated on his every word. “Daughter of Maul and Son of Vader.”

“Skipped a few generations there, didn’t you?”

“They don’t matter.” He brought his other hand up, resting both of them on your cheeks. You grabbed his wrists, willing him closer. “We’re the chosen ones.” Your breath hitched, taking a few hammering beats of your heart to process. You dropped your grip, stepping out of his touch.

“No.” You shook your head vehemently. “No.” You clutched the wall behind you for support. “I won’t give myself to the dark side.” You lowered your voice to a whisper. “I’m not like you.”

“Then why are you here? Why do you keep coming back?”

“Don’t.” You blinked away a tear, flattening yourself back against the wall as he came closer, cornering you there. “Don’t!” You said, more conviction in your voice now. He did not back away.

“Ask yourself why.” He pressed himself against you, the tip of his nose sliding against the bridge of yours, his breath on your face. “Why are you here?” His hand wrapped around your throat, but he didn’t squeeze. “You’re drawn to the darkness in me.” He grazed his mouth against your jaw. “Just as I’m drawn to the darkness in you.” His lips touched yours so briefly that you panted in frustration, leaning forward to try and capture them again. “Maybe you can work out the answer in your marriage bed with Hux.” He said viciously, now squeezing at your neck so hard your feet lifted from the ground. He threw you to the side and opened the door, sweeping you out into the hall like a heap of garbage. Vicrul helped you, gasping for breath, to your feet.

You were in such poor spirits when you boarded Hux’s ship that you didn’t even have to pretend to feel ill. You curled up in the bed Hux had prepared for you without a word, grappling with the fact that in just a few days, you would be his wife.


	20. The Wedding, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You arrive on Hosnian Prime to prepare for your upcoming nuptials to General Hux. In the days before your wedding, you receive a few unexpected visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeee! We're finally here at the wedding! When I started writing this, I had a couple of main plot points that I knew I wanted to get to, and this is one of the big ones. But worry not, I have a lot more hidden up my sleeves! And 150 kudos, y'all really just know how to make a girl's day. Love you so much!
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing!

“We’re here.” Hux woke you from a restless sleep, your eyes bleary and swollen. The air was cool as you walked off the ramp with him, lights blinking all around, the city still vibrantly alive despite the late hour. It took you several minutes of walking through the grand hallways of the capitol building to realize that Novaethele and Hereanula were behind you, their footsteps silent as wraiths. Everything felt muddled and heavy, like you were wading through a dream.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Hux’s voice brought you out of your thoughts, a gentle hand smoothing over your hair. “Perhaps I should send a med-droid.”

“No.” You didn’t have the energy to muster a fake smile. “I’m fine.” He didn’t look convinced, but sighed and pressed a button on the control panel outside the door you were in front of, and it slid open for you. Your attendants followed you in, but Hux left you be, and for that you were grateful. It was identical to the room you had stayed in the last time, with a large, comfortable bed and a wardrobe in which Novaethele was hanging a black garment bag.

“We’ll do a fitting tomorrow, but I’m sure the sizing is correct.” She said, inclining her head slightly at you. You had an urge to rip the dress to shreds.

“We will leave you to rest.” Hereanula said, and they both slipped out the door. You set your things down on the bed, your datapad blinking with an unread comm. It was Leia, letting you know that she would be arriving the day after next, and wanted to know a time that she could meet with you one on one. You ignored her, shoving your bags onto the floor and crawling under the covers, burying your face in the pillow, screaming into it. The only knight that had boarded the ship with you was Vicrul, which meant Kylo had pulled them all back. Not so long ago, you would have been overjoyed, but something had shifted. You were no longer toeing a dangerous line, you had flung yourself past it with reckless abandon. You wanted him. You craved him. And you were marrying Hux. You cursed aloud, turning over and tried to breathe deeply, to calm down, but found yourself slipping easily into the vast, dark network of the Force. You felt your consciousness floating along, ripples of emotion disturbing the peaceful darkness. There was a flash of white, and then you were staring at Kylo: naked, sweating, and tangled in his bedsheets on the Finalizer. You gasped, and the sound echoed around you like you were standing in a large cavern. Kylo’s eyes were closed, but his breathing was erratic, the tendons in his neck sticking out as he thrashed. You reached out to touch him, but your hand went right through his skin. Nevertheless, as you pulled away, his eyes shot open and he bolted upright, staring right at you with shock on his face, lips parted. He reached out for you, but in an instant the scene disappeared and you awoke in your bed on Hosnian Prime, terror making your heart slam against your chest as you felt your body in a free-fall. You hit the soft mattress in less than a second, sitting up and ripping off your blankets. What the hell was that? It felt like more than a dream, but it seemed impossible that you could have actually been there. Yet there was still so much you didn’t know about the Force, and you swore you could still feel the aftershocks of Kylo’s surprise in your own body.

You attempted to settle yourself down enough to go back to sleep, but as the first gray light of dawn shone through the slatted blinds, you sighed and pulled yourself up. It was going to be a long day, but the sooner it started, the sooner it could be over. You went for a run through the city, Vicrul keeping pace easily as you sprinted up hills and between buildings. Traffic above you had not yet reached its peak, but you felt the uncomfortable waves of heat from their engines as they passed. When you made it back to the capitol, you very nearly collapsed on the sidewalk. Even Vicrul was breathless.

“Was that a punishment for me or for you?” He asked, lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow.

“I just needed to think.” You admitted between gasping breaths, knowing full well the only image playing on a loop in your head was Kylo reaching out for you.

“Come on, you’re probably missed.” Vicrul directed you into the building with a hand on the small of your back, taking you up the elevator and back to your room. You hung back in your doorway, a steadying hand on the door frame, working up the courage to ask your question.

“Vicrul?” You said finally, “Why aren’t the rest of the Knights here with you?” Vicrul shot you a warning look.

“You know why.” You cringed. He came up behind you, pushing you into your room and sealing you inside together. “You made your decision. A smart one, I might add.” Your breathing was starting to speed up again. “Marrying Hux will elevate your position and further your goals.”

“What if I don’t care about that anymore?” You hated yourself the moment you uttered the words. It was childish to think this way, not to mention incredibly selfish. You began to pace, rubbing the sides of your neck and trying to think clearly.

“Kylo Ren will only drag you down.” Vicrul spat coldly, grabbing you and forcing you still.

“Why do you hate him so much?”

“Why don’t _you_?!” He shook your shoulders, eyes blazing with determination. You still didn’t understand.

“I don’t know.” You whispered, unable to meet his gaze. “I don’t know.” You repeated, turning away from him, burying your face in your hands.

“You’d better pull yourself together, or you might find that you’ll lose everything.” You raised your head and glared at him.

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning.”

“Get out.” Irritation made your cheeks flush. “Now!”

“Make me.” With a furious breath, you used the Force to slide open the door and push Vicrul out. He grinned, giving you a mock salute as you stormed into the bathroom to take a bath.

Hereanula and Novaethele entered with hot towels when you stepped out, drying and styling your hair, covering the dark circles beneath your eyes, and pulling out your dress from the wardrobe. The garment bag was huge, almost as tall as you were and at least twice as wide. The monstrosity Hereanula pulled out was worse than you imagined. It seemed to have an endless amount of white tulle in the skirt, which sparkled whenever the light hit. It took both of them to get you strapped in, the corset back tied so tightly that you could barely let your breath out. The neckline dipped low, squeezing your breasts together, the sheer sleeves hanging off your shoulders, and an attached cape fanning out in a long train behind you. You looked ridiculous.

“You don’t like it.” Novaethele’s face fell when she looked at you, her sister fluffing the fabric and adjusting the veil, like that would make a difference. Guilt clawed at your stomach.

“No, it’s a beautiful dress, really,” You smoothed your hand over the bodice, clinging to your waist and cinching it in. “It’s just… a lot.” That was an understatement, add a tall headdress and you could pass for a Naboo queen. To your surprise, Hereanula laughed.

“I told you,” She told her sister, who scowled. “We prepared a second dress for the celebration afterward, and I have a feeling you’ll much prefer that one.” She returned to the garment bag and pulled out a slim slip of off-white silk. It fit you like a second skin, stretching to accentuate your curves, the asymmetric sleeve leaving it completely open in the back, a sparkling, beaded swirl design decorating your skin. The dress swept the floor with a small train, and seemed to give off a luminous glow every time you moved.

“This is the one.” You said, turning to look at yourself from the back. Hereanula placed a golden headpiece on you, little spikes sticking up like a halo of triangles. You looked radiant.

“The General insists that you wear the other for the ceremony. We brought this one specifically for after.” Novaethele said, frowning.

“Hux claims that he knows what he’s getting into marrying me. Let this be his first lesson.” _The first of many_ , you added silently with a small smirk.

You stood alone on a landing deck the next morning, watching Leia’s ship descend gracefully onto the platofrm. The warm wind blew your hair out behind you, ruffling your perfectly pressed trousers and jacket, but you didn’t mind. There were so few outward reminders of the confusion and despair you felt, wrinkled clothing seemed to be the only act of rebellion you could let slip. When the ramp lowered down, your control faltered.

“My daughter,” Your father strode beside Leia, a sneer plastered on his face. Your entire body went stiff, your breath turning to cement in your lungs. Leia shot you an apologetic glance. It took every ounce of resolve in your body not to use the Force to throw him off the edge and watch him splatter on the cement some a hundred stories down. “I was hurt not to receive an invitation to your wedding.” He stopped before you, reaching out to touch your arm. You shook him off rather violently, and he smiled. “I figured it was accidental.”

“I make no mistakes.” You said coldly, narrowing your eyes at him. Half of you was furious, ready to take him on in battle, the other half ready to cower and hide. You knew which side your father expected. “Thought you’d walk your whore daughter down the aisle?”

“Ivan,” Leia warned, watching his smile turn to a snarl.

“I did everything in my power to ensure you were a soldier, to make you disciplined, strong, a warrior. Yet here you are, using your cunt to get you to the top.” You shrieked as you pounced on him, tackling him to the ground and swinging your fists blindly. Leia was screaming at both of you, but you ignored her, one of your punches landing with a sickening crunch. Your father grunted, grabbing ahold of you with an iron grip, wrapping his arm around your neck from behind and squeezing until you saw stars.

“You were always a disobedient bitch.” You gasped for oxygen, darkness closing in from the sides. “I should have drowned you when you were-” Vicrul was pointing his scythe at your father’s head, all intimidation in his full armor and helmet.

“Let her go.” Something warm and wet was dripping on your head, down the side of your face. Your father loosened his grip, but only just.

“You won’t kill me.” Your father sneered, his voice distorted. You must have broken his nose.

“I can think of about a hundred states worse than death. Want to try me?” Vicrul stepped closer, the scythe just inches away. You were kicked to the ground, landing in a gasping heap. Leia rushed to your side, a gentle touch on your shoulder. You cringed away from her.

“How could you bring him here?” You said once your vision wasn’t spinning with stars.

“I didn’t think-” She sighed, looking down away from you and knitting her brows together. “He said he would behave. I shouldn’t have believed him. I’m sorry.” You did not accept her apology. You got to your feet, shooting one last glare at your father, and stormed back into the building, running nearly headfirst into Hux. He caught you and steadied you, holding you at arm’s length to evaluate you.

“Why are you covered in blood?” He asked disapprovingly. Your hackles already raised from the prior altercation, you couldn’t hold back a retort.

“Why do you always turn up in places you’re not wanted?” It was a low blow, and regardless of the situation you knew he didn’t deserve it.

“I received word that there was a situation on the landing bay involving you. Should I reserve no worry for my bride?” Just then, the door opened and Vicrul was escorting your father in, Leia following shortly behind. You watched Hux lock eyes with your father, something like understanding smoothing over his face. As he passed your father spat, the wet clump landing on your cheek. You saw red, control and common sense no longer holding any place in your body. The entire room began quaking, a vase crashing to the floor. You raised your hand, ready to send your father flying through the large glass windows, but Vicrul was on you, ripping off his helmet and shoving you back against the wall.

“Stop, not like this.” He whispered to you, shoving you back when you struggled. “Don’t let him win.” The room stilled.

“I’ve never seen such despicable behavior from a grown man. How dare you!” You realized a small crowd had gathered at the end of the hall, but no one was paying attention to you. Instead, Hux was yelling in your father’s face, a vein protruding in his forehead, his cheeks flushed. Your father met his energy.

“You’ll find out soon enough, _General_ , that she’s far more trouble than she’s worth.” His eyes flickered to you, still held back by Vicrul. “Take it from me, boy, it doesn’t matter how good she tastes, if she doesn’t listen, she-” Hux socked him square in the jaw. Your father staggered back, looking up at Hux with murder in his eyes. You shook yourself out of Vicrul’s slackened grip and ran to Hux, half shielding him, half keeping him from going back for more. Four stormtroopers ran through the thickening crowd of onlookers and grabbed your father, one of them pointing a blaster at his head.

“General Organa, put a stop to this!” Your father screeched, looking over to the slight but mighty woman making her way over to you. Your breath came heavy; if she called this in your father’s favor, you didn’t care who saw your Force powers. You’d kill them both right here.

“Ivan, after all these years of working together, I’d have thought you would know me by now.” She sighed, glancing at you. “But I suppose I thought I knew you.” Hux relaxed behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders and allowing you to lean back into him. “I have no place for cruelty in my organization. You are hereby relieved of your position, and will leave Hosnian Prime at once.”

“You don’t have the authority to-”

“Don’t I? Kicking you off this planet is a soft punishment. Be grateful I’m allowing you to keep your home.” Leia motioned to the troopers, and they obeyed her, dragging your father, who screamed obscenities the entire way, back out to the ship.

“I’m sorry. I knew of his contempt for you, but I…” She trailed off, looking down at the ground, then past you at the still gathered crowd of whisperers. She leaned in closer to you. “No excuse I make will mean very much to you. And perhaps it’s because I have no excuse. I never should have brought him here.” She grabbed your hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m going to get cleaned up.” You said, the bodies dispersing rapidly as you approached.

Your room was in shambles. As soon as you returned to it, your hate spewed out of you in an explosion of power, leaving all of the wooden furniture in splinters, feathers strewn about. You fell to your knees in the middle of the destruction and let yourself cry. You allowed yourself to mourn the little girl that took the abuse, even thought she deserved it, that maybe if she just measured up to the impossible standard, that she would finally be loved. You cried for her until you couldn’t breathe, until the tears turned to sobs, and the sobs turned to screams. Someone crushed you against their chest, holding you there as you struggled against them, murmuring low words of comfort, smoothing back your hair until you finally gave in. You stayed like that until your sobs faded into irregular, jagged breaths.

“I suppose when I said no fighting before the wedding, I should have taken my own advice.” Hux spoke, using his thumb to wipe a stray tear from your blank face. He held out his other hand, red and angry, with the purplish hue of a bruise forming on his knuckles. You were spent from your outburst, and didn’t respond. “He’s gone now, he can’t hurt you anymore.”

“He’s not gone until he’s dead.” You choked out, finally looking up at him to see tenderness in his gaze.

“I thought about it.” He chuckled. “But I figured it wouldn’t look very good for a senator to murder another senator’s aide the day before his wedding.”

“That might hurt your odds of being elected Chancellor.” You couldn’t help but crack a grin, running the pads of your fingers along his swelling knuckles.

“Yes, that too. How could I forget?” You lapsed into an easy silence, still holding onto each other, until you looked up to address him.

“I thought your mind was always on your next power grab.” You were half-teasing, but he looked down at you seriously.

“Not always.” He grabbed your face, pulling you toward him, kissing you slowly at first, but deepening his passion when you kissed him back. You could forget about it all, you could lose yourself in him for a time. You could choose to feel... good. He pulled you into his lap, your legs wrapping around his waist, throwing your head back as his lips moved to your neck and jaw. You weren’t sure what had gotten into your hands, but they were moving toward Hux’s shirt, fumbling with buttons, trying to fill the aching need that had spread from between your legs all the way up into your chest. Hux pulled away, grabbing your hands and holding them still.

“I’ll see to it that you have a new room for tonight.” You stared at him, your cheeks and chest hot, while he extended a hand and helped you to your feet. “And then tomorrow you’ll be with me.” You turned away from him, taking in a deep breath as you thought of the ramifications of that kiss, that moment of genuine weakness and vulnerability. What he might expect tomorrow, and how far you’d be willing to go to keep up a rouse.

“Tell the staff I apologize for the mess.” You kicked a jagged piece of the broken bed frame for effect, looking over your shoulder and smirking. You felt excitement leap in Hux’s pulse like he was screaming it across the room at you. “And, Hux?” He turned just as he was in the doorway, his tone strained as he said your name. He cleared his throat. “I want a bigger room. It will be my wedding day after all.”

“Nothing but the best.”

In your new room that evening, you tried to reach a meditative state, calling upon all of the rage, all of the sorrow, all of your hurt, but in the end you just became overwhelmed to the point of hyperventilation.

“Kylo,” You said aloud, whispering his name over and over like a prayer, craving the feeling of his hands. You knew there was no comfort he could offer you, but he could spread you so far open that everything else would fade into the background; If he was here now, touching you, it wouldn’t matter that you were getting married tomorrow. It wouldn’t matter that your father publicly denounced and shamed you, that your Force powers were out of control. You tried slipping a hand between your legs, trying to fill yourself with two fingers, three, but it wasn’t the same. Nothing filled you up like his cock. You pulled yourself out of bed without finishing, staring at yourself in the mirror utterly unsatisfied. You leaned over the sink and splashed cool water on your face, attempting to bring yourself back to the moment. As you toweled off, there was a flash of black behind you in your reflection. The swish of a cloak, a glint of silver. When you turned, the room was empty.

You didn’t sleep but for an hour or two, interrupted by vicious nightmares that left you sweaty and shaking. Breakfast was brought to you on a tray by a service droid, a handwritten note from Hux scribbled out on the napkin that was tucked under your drink.

 _Hope the room was big enough. -Armitage_ , it read, and you huffed, taking a large sip of what you thought was juice, but turned out to be heavily spiked with alcohol. You choked, but swallowed gratefully. You were going to need a few more of those if you were going to get through today. Your Chiss attendants came shortly after, shoving you in the bathtub and turning you into a hairless, shimmering, sweet-smelling beauty queen. Novaethele tutted at you, eyeing you disapprovingly over the folds of her lavender headscarf.

“What?” You snapped after the third occurrence, not missing Hereanula’s subtle head shake at her sister.

“You’re lucky we had already taken your gown down to the dressing room. It would have been shredded in your outburst and you’d have no dress for the ceremony.” Novaethele said anyway, Hereanula pursing her lips as she continued piling curls on the top of your head.

“Very lucky.” You replied sarcastically, lacking the grit to think up a proper retort. “We might have even had to call off the wedding.” Novaethele narrowed her eyes, but stayed silent after a glare from her sister. They worked for another two hours, pinning and poking, smoothing and buffing, until you looked nearly unrecognizable. They wrapped you in a soft, white robe and slippers, leading you down through bustling afternoon hallways, more crowded than you’d ever seen them. People you didn’t recognize pointed at you and turned to their companions, speaking in hushed tones. You pushed onward, trying to block all of the whispers out, to keep some semblance of calm, lest another outburst of the Force bring the whole building down on top of you. The dressing room was bright with sunlight coming in from a large window on the ceiling, mirrors making up each of the four walls. You stepped up on the gray, rotating pedestal and stripped your robe. Both attendants helped you slip the silky gown over your body, just fastening the last button when the door opened behind you. You blinked, your mouth suddenly dry. You stared into hard brown eyes, a muscular chest heaving, dark skin radiant in the light.

“You cannot be here.” Novaethele bristled, taking a step toward Dane. For all his response, he didn’t hear a word she said. He just looked at you.

“Dane,” You said his name like a warning, and he said yours like a dying man’s last wish. You shook your head, your throat aching painfully. How could he do this to you? How could he come here today and no doubt make you feel worse than you already did? “Don’t do this.” You begged him, watching him work his jaw furiously, his lower lip trembling. “Please,” You nodded to the sisters, and they hurried out of the room.

“Don’t do this? Don’t try to convince you not to make the biggest mistake of your life?” You turned away from him, but the mirrors made it difficult to avoid his penetrating gaze. “I’m trying to help you.” He stepped up on the platform with you, gripping your waist and forcing you to look up at him.

“Help me? Help me?!” You ripped your body from his grasp and backed away, narrowly avoiding falling from the platform. “If you thought with your actual head instead of your dick you’d realize that I’m sacrificing everything I have for our cause. That’s worth it to me.”

“And I’m not?” He glared at you now, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

“If you’re looking for someone to comfort and coddle you, then you don’t know me very well.” You didn’t mean for the words to come out so coldly, but there they were, and they settled uncomfortably between you like a rising tidal wave.

“You have more to offer the Resistance than this.” He countered, “You can get us information without...” He looked down at the floor and stuttered. “Without…”

“Without what?” Your hackles were up now, hiking up the skirts of your dress to step closer, knees bending slightly into a fighting stance. “Without what, Dane?”

“Without whoring yourself out to the First Order.” There it was. The words you’d expected him to say, yet they still stung like a blow.

“That’s it, isn’t it.” A single tear fell down your cheek, more out of frustration than sadness. “If you can’t have me on your terms, your perfect, pure little virgin, then you don’t want me at all. Is that it?” He was silent, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Well I don’t want to be with someone that selfish.” You spat, the look on his face twisting into rage.

“I won’t wait for you.” His eyes glistened. “If you do this I’m not going to be there when you come back.”

“Good.” Your tone was steadier than you thought it would be, and maybe it was the truth. Maybe in the end, you didn’t care. He came quickly upon you, and you flinched as he cupped your face.

“Did you even care about me at all?” Tears slid unashamedly down his face, spilling in discolored dots on the hem of your dress. “I loved you,” His voice broke. “I love you.”

“You told me that already.” You snapped, your patience hanging on by its last thread. “And I’ll tell you again to leave.” The pain in his eyes was palpable, you didn’t have to reach out with the Force to feel it.

“Fuck you for making me feel like this.” His grip on your jaw tightened, becoming painful. “I wish I’d never met you.” You took in his words, swallowing them back like you had every time your father spoke to you. Finally, he released you, and you rubbed your aching jaw. “You make me sick.”

“Get out.” You whispered, feeling that uncontrollable power building inside of you, boiling up so high that it would spill over if you didn’t contain it.

“You might have everyone else fooled, but I see it now. I see you for what you really are. And you can’t sleep your way to the top forever.” If his prior words stung, these sliced at you, and from those cuts the Force flowed free.

“Get out!” You screamed, power exploding from you like a bomb, shattering every mirror, sending sharp shards of glass out in every direction. Dane jumped back, Vicrul barging in, scythe at the ready. Hereanula and Novaethele rushed over the glass to assess your dress, but there was a perfect circle where you were untouched. As soon as Dane recovered, he ran from the room, not taking even one glance back. You turned your glare on Vicrul as Novaethele fussed over your makeup.

“Why did you let him in?” You asked through gritted teeth. Vicrul removed his helmet and grinned sheepishly.

“He asked nicely?” You shook your head incredulously, throwing your hands up.

“Miss, we have only thirty minutes until the ceremony. We really have to go now if we’re going to make it in time.” Novaethele said, eyeballing the littered floor and then your dress, wondering how you could make it over with the fabric intact. Vicrul stomped over, glass crunching beneath his feet, and swept you into his arms, setting you safely on the clean floor outside.

You waited behind large double doors, the garble of voices from beyond making your stomach turn. This was it, in mere minutes you would be Hux’s wife. Hereanula ruffled your train so it fell perfectly behind you, and Novaethele pulled a thin veil over your face. Someone came up beside you and touched your forearm as the attendants drifted away.

“You look beautiful.” Leia smiled softly at you, clasping your hand in hers. “I hope you can forgive me for my lapse in judgment.” You eyed her from beneath the sheer fabric, considering her request, but her face changed. “There it is again. I’ve sensed a change in you, ever since I arrived. What’s happened?” You swallowed hard, trying your best not to think about her son.

“Since I’ve confronted my father, my powers have started to manifest.” Her eyes widened. “I can’t control it.” She ripped her hand out of yours as though you’d shocked her. “What?”

“I saw-” Before she could finish, the double doors opened, and hundreds of people stood to look back at you. “We’ll speak later.” She held out her arm and escorted you into the cathedral. There were hundreds, if not thousands of bodies seated in the cavernous room, stained glass windows casting a beautiful red and blue tint over the room. Harps were plucked and a vocalist crooned as you started your slow descent down the aisle. And there, waiting at the end for you, was Hux.


	21. The Wedding, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make your vows to General Hux, your new husband. Your first night together brings many surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could explode with excitement @ this chapter. I looked this week and realized that this fanfic is officially longer than BOTH of the other novels I have written, and there's still so much more of the story to tell. I can't tell you how much fun I'm having writing this, and how much I smile reading your comments. THANK YOU FOR READING! Hope everyone is staying warm and safe in this winter storm we're having. 
> 
> Without further ado...  
>  _switchin' the positions for you_

Hux was clean-shaven, his red hair slicked back, standing out against the speckled white marble of the cathedral walls. His gaze locked on you, a half smile spreading over his face. As you reached the steps up to the dais, Leia looked at you, piercing through the veil that covered your face, and smiled sadly. It was almost as though she pitied you. She disappeared into the crowd as you accepted Hux’s outstretched hand.

“This is not the dress I picked out.” He said out of the corner of his mouth, but his tone was amused.

“You’re lucky I’m in a dress at all.” He squeezed your fingers in response and you turned to face each other.

“Welcome one, and welcome all.” The elderly officiant began, silencing the excited whispers flitting through the room. “We gather from all corners of the galaxy to celebrate this most historic union.” Hux took your hands and ran his thumb along your skin. “I will admit, I’ve officiated many weddings in my time, perhaps even a senator or two, but never have I joined two of such famously feuding organizations.” The comment earned a flitter of laughter from the room, but a glare from you.

“Yet here we are.” He continued, “And we honor the timeless Hosnian Prime tradition of union with the cloth of stars.” Two young attendants came out of the shadows with a shimmering black cloth in their arms, directing you to stand next to Hux and draping it over both of your shoulders. The material was silky, almost fluid, and each glittering white dot emitted its own light. “This cloth has been draped over the shoulders of every couple that has been married in this cathedral as a sign of good fortune, a symbol of love that spans across the stars.” You had to bite your tongue to keep from snorting. The officiant laid a hand on the top of Hux’s head, then yours. “May your union grow strong and tenacious, and may it last until the final star in the galaxy burns out.” The fabric glowed brighter than ever, the audience making delighted noises before breaking into applause.

“Yes, yes, a bright glow for a well-made match.” The cloth slipped from your shoulders and was ushered away by the attendants, and Hux turned to face you again, his gaze bright with anticipation. “And now, it comes time to make your vows, before the eyes of the New Republic, your families, your friends, and most importantly, before each other.” The officiant’s eyes twinkled as he looked between you, directing Hux to lift the veil from obscuring your view. “General Armitage Hux, do you vow to take the woman before you as your wife, to grow and prosper together, to bring her under your protection? Do you promise to honor her and every life you bear together, and keep the highest covenant in the galaxy to her alone?”

“I will.” Hux said without hesitation, unable to keep his grin contained. Someone in the audience sighed. As the officiant turned on you, saying your full name, something rippled in the far back of the room, catching your eye. Time ceased to exist, the words of the officiant were dull and distant, as though the entire event was above the surface of a treacherous sea, and you were being pulled down into an unrelenting undercurrent. The faces in the crowd were little more than blurred dots of color, your heart racing in your chest: Kylo Ren was standing in the back of the room, his expression impassive as he locked your gaze. You forgot how to breathe. Someone nudged you, and everything came back into focus.

“Your response is, ‘I will’.” The officiant murmured gently to you, a swell of whispers growing through the room.

“I-” Your mouth was bone dry, and your face reflexively shot back to where Kylo had stood, but he was gone. Gone as though he’d never been there in the first place. “I will.” You swore you could feel a hurricane of rage swirling from somewhere light-years away as soon as the words left your lips.

“Then it is my privilege and honor to pronounce you husband and wife.” He turned to Hux. “You may kiss your bride.” Hux cradled your face in his hands, looking at you for a moment before kissing you, applause erupting through the hall like an explosion. You barely remembered to kiss him back, to plaster a blissful smile over your face when he pulled back, your mind was far, far away, watching a red lightsaber hit a gray paneled wall until it was little more than scrap metal.

Somehow, you were already up the aisle and being loaded into the awaiting ship, the flashes of comms and shouted questions from galactic journalists foggy and unimportant. Some of your own anger eddied in your chest; if Kylo was so angry, so jealous that you’d just married Hux, then why wasn’t he here? Why didn’t he come fight for you? Another, more logical part of you, was glad that he didn’t. The wedding would have been a bloodbath.

“Are you alright?” Hux’s voice lulled you out of your head, reaching for you, and you allowed him to touch your cheek, his lips curving into a frown. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He didn’t know the half of it.

“The ceremony was just a lot. Those vows...” You swallowed. “They were very heavy.” Hux looked hurt for a moment, but quickly recovered.

“It’s all fluff and showmanship.” He scoffed, leaning back into his chair. “Nobody can love that deeply.” He was lying. You sensed it in the miniscule wavering of his tone, the slight dip in his gaze, the repositioning of his hands.

“Right.” You were lying, too. If the circumstances had been different, if you weren’t so fucked up from the abuse, if you would just allow yourself to accept affection without that necessary edge of toxicity, then maybe you could love Hux. But there was a rumbling from deep within you, a sick, twisted beast that craved something more. You retreated into your head again as Hux fell silent, watching a tall, dark-haired man, hatred burning in his eyes, stand in your bedroom on the Finalizer. He clenched his fist and an invisible bomb erupted, everything in his sight pulverized. It wasn’t enough, though, you felt his craving for more, for you. You knew the moment he detected you there, watching him, and his hunger for violence peaked. You felt the pleasure-pain of invisible claws scraping down your back, and then you were hurtled back to Hosnian Prime, Hux’s pointed face studying you with apparent concern.

“I got you a wedding gift.” He said, handing you a box wrapped in white paper and secured with a sleek black bow. You gave him a small smile and tore into the paper, revealing a beautiful dagger set beneath red velvet wrappings. It was lightweight, slightly curved, with an elegant black and steel handle. The point was sharp, the perfect size to throw straight through an enemy’s eye or chest. The holster matched the hilt, with straps ready to wrap around your thigh.

“Wow.” Was all you could say, turning it over in your hands and admiring the craftsmanship. You frowned, “I didn’t get you anything.” He waved his hand and reached over you to take the holster from the box.

“What can you get a man who already has everything he desires?” He knelt before you, nodding toward your right thigh. “May I?” You broke into a small mischievous grin, pulling up the hem of your dress just slightly to reveal your ankle. He tracked the movement with hungry eyes.

“You think I’d bring a weapon into my own wedding?”

“I _know_ you would.” He grinned back, very hesitantly lifting the silk higher up your leg, trailing his fingers along your skin as he went, revealing the old dagger strapped snugly against your thigh. He took care undoing the leather buckles, his gaze flicking back up to yours as his fingers brushed your inner thigh. He fastened the new one, holding out his hand for the dagger, sliding it in.

“Perfect fit.” He did not move, and you felt your heart rate quicken, a new pulse beating between your legs. You cleared your throat and let the silk slide back to cover your bare skin, Hux swallowing hard and returning to his seat next to you.

You arrived at the grand ballroom at a hotel on the opposite side of the city, where you and Hux would be spending your first night together. Hux offered his arm and you allowed him to escort you inside. You ate, you danced, but spent the majority of the night standing next to Hux while he spoke to other senators, diplomats, and dignitaries, all of them offering their ‘sincerest congratulations’. You thought if you heard that phrase one more time you would punch someone in the throat. You had wandered over to a corner of the room after far too much wine, taking a moment to breathe fresh air next to an open window when a familiar face approached.

“I’ve barely had a moment to see you tonight.” Leia joined you, her gaze kind and gentle. As you looked down into her face, you found Kylo’s eyes staring back at you. Your chest burned; it almost hurt to look at her.

“You’re in pain.” It wasn’t a question, and you glanced away from her, out the window, at the stars in the darkened sky above.

“Yes,” You sighed, forcing a smile. “These shoes are killer. I can’t wait to get them off. “ You’d hoped she would laugh it off, but her face darkened.

“That’s not what I meant.” She eyed you seriously, lowering her voice. “Do you want out?” You didn’t answer right away, and Leia pressed her lips together in a thin line. “I can get you out if that’s what you want.” You fantasized about it for a moment, but it was just that. A selfish fantasy.

“No.” You said firmly, straightening and glancing across the room to look for Hux’s fiery head. “I will follow this through.” She nodded grimly.

“About your… outbursts.”

“You know as well as I do that I need training.” Snoke had told you that Leia would never agree, but maybe she would. Maybe he was wrong. “You could train me.”

“I can’t.” Your face fell at her words, but you had known she would say them. “I’m no teacher. Not for this.”

“You won’t even try?”

“It’s a bad idea. Maybe if my brother was still around…” She trailed off her mind flashing back to a dark place. You felt her thinking of Kylo, of her son Ben who had become him. You looked up, noticing Hux striding toward you, handing you a flute of champagne.

“I appreciate your attendance, General Organa.” He sipped his drink, “I look forward to running against you in this bid for Chancellor. You really have made my work cut out for me thus far, even in just the short time that you announced your bid.” Your mouth dropped open, looking between Hux and Leia.

“You’re running for Chancellor? You never told me that.” Something dark flashed in Leia’s eyes as she shot a look at Hux- so achingly similar to her son’s- and she smiled at you apologetically.

“You had enough on your plate.” But that wasn’t all, something was off. She was lying to you. Could she already sense the dark side in you? After so few meetings with Snoke, was it already starting to take hold?

“I would have liked to know.” You hadn’t meant to sound so hurt, but your tone was raw enough that Hux reflexively put his arm around your waist, pulling you into his side.

“There’s been much for you to focus on as of late, forgive us for not wanting to overwhelm you with another rivalry between your two homes.” You frowned at Hux, then back to Leia. Were you to presume that they had discussed this, intentionally hid it from you? A few embers of your anger started to smoke, but you stamped them out before they could take hold and overwhelm you, endangering the life of everyone at this party.

“Of course.” You said coolly, stiffening under Hux’s embrace and downing the rest of your glass of champagne. The bubbles stung in your throat. Leia opened her mouth to speak, to explain, perhaps, but closed it before she could form the words, an awkward silence making the space between you seem too small.

“Well, darling, shall we say our goodnights and retire to our room for the evening?” Hux failed miserably to hide the anticipation in his tone, and you could almost feel his pulse racing under his skin.

“Why, yes, _darling_ , perhaps we shall.” You mocked him intentionally, but he only grinned at you, giving you a delighted squeeze. You started off with him, but Leia grabbed your hand and pulled you back, leaning in close to make a show of embracing you.

“You are not obligated to sleep with him. Don’t let him force you into anything you don’t want to do.” You pulled back from the hug, looking her square in the face.

“Do I look like the sort of woman that would let a man force me into anything?” With that, you followed Hux up the lobby elevators to the penthouse suite.

When the elevator doors shut behind you, you took in the quiet luxury of everything, the sleek leather couches, the perfectly cut flowers in crystal vases, the dimmed lighting giving everything a soft, romantic glow. You strode over to the floor-to ceiling window at the edge of the room, so high up that all you could see below was clouds gathering to block the bustling city. You felt Hux come up behind you, the silence of the room bursting with tension.

“What do you think?” He asked, settling himself beside you and clasping his hands behind his back without looking at you. You did not respond, so he rambled on. “We’ll have tonight and tomorrow night here. I thought I’d give us a free day tomorrow to spend together before it’s back to election business.” You made a noncommittal noise, folding your arms across your chest, neither of you brave enough to face the other head on.

“You seem tense.” Hux said after another silence, putting his hands on your shoulders and kneading his thumbs into your muscles. “What’s wrong?” There were a great many things that you wanted to yell at him about, some of them not even being his fault, but you kept the pin in the grenade, worried that if you started you wouldn’t be able to stop. The alcohol you consumed at the reception certainly didn’t help your control.

“You’re hiding things from me.” His hands faltered for a moment, then resumed.

“General Organa asked me not to tell you before the wedding.” You turned around, looking up into his face his cheeks flushed and pupils dilated.

“Why?”

“I wanted to tell you sooner.” His tone edged on irritation now, “But she and I both agreed that this marriage is in the best interest of our organizations. I think she was worried that if you knew she was running, you wouldn’t go through with it.” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“She was worried?” You turned your voice lower, husky, “Or _you_ were?” You took a step forward while he took one back.

“Our decision was mutual and I told you as soon as I could.” You rolled your eyes, trying to temper the building anger before you took out a window.

“Do you think I’m the type to let the grownups talk and make decisions for me? Do you think I’m going to shut up and take it now that I’m your wife?”

“No, I don’t.” He stepped up, cupping your cheeks between his palms and staring down at you seriously, a note of apology in his green eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would make you so upset. I trusted General Organa’s judgment, but I see now that it was a mistake.”

“Well, yes.” You knitted your eyebrows together, a bit taken aback by his response; you weren’t used to anyone admitting they were wrong, let alone apologizing straight to your face. It was unsettling. “What’s your motive here?”

“My motive?” He laughed, one of the very few genuine smiles you’d ever seen, where his eyes crinkled with amusement. You realized he could be quite handsome if he wanted to be. He stepped even closer to you, dropping his hands to your waist. “My motive right now is to take you to bed.” You stared at him in surprise for a few moments, his boldness catching you off guard. You reached up and grabbed his chin between your thumb and index finger, his breathing sputtering as you pulled his face close to yours.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” You ran your thumb along his lower lip, pulling it down before letting it settle back into place. His gaze was ravenous, his hands tight on your hips now, the power you held over him was intoxicating. You wondered if this was what Kylo Ren felt like when he had you at his mercy. Hux whispered your name hoarsely, desperately, and the feeling in the pit of your stomach scared you so much that you had to pull away, step back, remove the spotlight of his eyes. You wanted to use him, to bend him to your will, to mold him like putty in your hands until he knew nothing but your name. You swallowed hard.

“I can’t.” You whispered, backing up so far you ran into one of the leather couches, nearly tripping over it. Hux feathered his jaw, looking away from you and biting the inside of his cheek.

“Is it because of Dane?” You snorted, Hux’s eyebrows rising,

“No, Dane made it very clear that he doesn’t want me anymore.” Your dress felt too tight, like a cage squeezing you in. “He doesn’t want someone that, and I quote, ‘whores themselves out to the First Order.’”

“A fool.” He spat. “A wretched fool.” Discomfort settled once again in your chest as you stared at each other, the tension growing so thick you could nearly see it in the air.

“I think I’m going to turn in.” You said, kicking off your shoes and wondering how in the hell you were going to get out of your dress without Hereanula and Novaethele’s nimble fingers. You shouldn’t have been surprised that there was only one bed, but when you walked through the door, there it was. The fireplace was lit, casting a flickering ambience over the walls, a bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on the bedside table. You sighed, twisting your arms behind your back and attempting to unhook all of the tiny satin buttons down your back. You struggled, inhaling sharply when large, cool hands caught yours, undoing them for you with ease.

“Allow me,” Hux murmured, and the dress slipped down onto the floor, leaving you naked as the day you were born. There was a rustle of fabric, and Hux put his own button up over your shoulders. You pulled your arms through, rolling up the sleeves several times until they fit you, the hem hanging nearly to your knees.

“Thanks.” You said quietly, sitting on the side of the bed and beginning to pull the pins from your hair, setting your new dagger and its holster on the nightstand. Hux settled himself on the other side of the bed, lounging back against the pillows, and for a few minutes the only sound was the crackling flames.

“I gave you my word that I wouldn’t ask you to do anything you didn’t want to do. I will continue to honor that.” You slid under the covers and laid down on your side, facing away from Hux, feeling him settle himself next to you. You burned hot as the fire there in the silence, half with frustration, half with desire, the line blurring until it became indistinguishable. Oh, how Kylo would rage if he could read your thoughts now, to know how you wanted to take Hux, to feel the power that came from watching him devote everything to your pleasure. He was angry enough knowing you were lying here next to your now-husband, but in the very back of your mind, you’d expected him to come for you in the same way Dane had. Except instead of begging you not to go through with it, he’d force you not to. He’d make you proclaim your devotion to him alone, in front of everyone, and whisk you away from the Resistance, the First Order, the Senate, everything. Somewhere where it could just be, no politics involved. You were wet between the legs at the mere thought. You shifted restlessly, trying to think of something else, anything else, but the ache in your core was unrelenting; you weren’t sure you’d be able to sleep without some relief. You opened your eyes as you turned over to face Hux, finding his gaze already on you.

“I can’t sleep.” You whispered, pressing your thighs together under the blankets for the stimulation, your breath coming shallow.

“Me neither,” You only hesitated for a moment before you kissed him, thinking of all the ways you’d pay the price at Kylo’s hands, but you could regret it later. And fuck him for not caring enough to come claim you; He could make you say it all he wanted, but you were not his. You had every right to screw your own husband. Hux responded very enthusiastically, as expected, pulling you closer, groaning when you bit his bottom lip. You rolled over on top of him, grinding your hips down into his, feeling him already hard beneath you. He gripped your waist tightly when you pressed your lips into his jaw, his neck, grazing your teeth along his collarbone.

“Tell me what you want.” You breathed into his ear, your hand finding its way around his throat, squeezing just slightly until he grunted. “I want to hear it from you.”

“I want-” You reached down between his legs with your free hand and palmed his cock, relishing in the moan of pleasure that disrupted his words. “I want to please you.” _This_ was how Kylo felt when he took you, when you told him you belonged to him.

“Is that right?” You pressed your lips to his again, your tongue sliding into his mouth, body begging to be touched, but you paused for a moment, hovering over him with a finger over his eager lips. “Are you a virgin?” He grabbed your hand, pulling it away to intertwine your fingers and grinning boyishly.

“No.” You raised your eyebrows, biting your lip. You quite liked the idea of taking his virginity, of corrupting him.

“Liar.” You teased, rubbing your hips over his length, straining in his pants.

“Try me.” You sat up on him, unbuttoning your shirt very slowly, his gaze feasting upon every newly revealed inch of bare flesh. Finally you let it fall from your shoulders, throwing it off into a dark corner somewhere. He didn’t know where to look first, his hands traced the curve of your waist, but stayed well away from your breasts.

“Well?” You took his hand and cupped it around your breast, the nipple peaked against his palm.

“I’m trying to decipher whether or not this is a dream.” He panted, running his fingers over your abdomen, your back, your ass. You smiled wickedly, teasing the half inch of skin just below his waistband, feeling his cock twitch under you.

“Why? Do I often make appearances there?”

“Almost too often.” He sat up now, gently pushing you back against the mattress, spreading your knees apart so he could put his hips parallel to yours. You raked your fingers into his hair as he teased a nipple with his tongue, pinching the other gently between his fingers. You almost laughed out loud; Hux was going to make love to you tonight, which you’d allow given the circumstances, but you’d have to teach him to fuck. When his fingers found their way down between your legs, feeling the slickness that had already accumulated there, he swore, kissing his way down your abdomen, over your inner thighs.

“Sir, General Hux, sir, I- OH-” Neither of you had noticed the door open. Hux sprung up from between your legs, flustered and flushed, as you gazed lazily over your shoulder at the intruder. The stormtrooper had jumped out of the room, standing behind the now-closed door, voice quivering as he spoke. “Sir, I am so sorry to interrupt, but-” Hux stormed from the bed, adjusting his pants and slamming his hand down on the panel so the door slid open. You rolled over onto your stomach, watching the exchange with a bored expression.

“ _What_ could possibly be so important that you have to barge in here?”

“Sir, please, I should have knocked, it’s just-” The trooper stammered, and you stalked over to the doorway, still naked, leaning up against the doorframe.

“Spit it out, soldier.” You said in a sultry tone, the stutters fading into stunned silence. Hux shoved you away from the prying eyes, barking at you to put some clothes on.

“The Supreme Leader has a message for you.” Hux pushed past the trooper, mumbling an insult under his breath, “He said it was urgent, I-I didn’t mean-” You pulled the sheet off the bed, wrapping it around yourself, and returning to the door.

“Don’t worry, you probably saved me from some really mediocre head.” You winked, looking around to figure out where Hux had gone to take the comm. There was a second room off to the left of the one you’d just come from, you pressed your ear to the closed door, trying to make out words.

“-inspect them.” Snoke was saying in his hissing tone. “-finally done-” You stepped closer to the door, like you could slip through the metal if you pressed hard enough against it.

“Why can’t you send Ren?” Hux raised his voice, then lowered it again, so that you could no longer hear clearly.

“-question me.” Snoke sounded angry now, and Hux stayed silent. “And you’ll do as I say.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.” You backed away from the door, lounging yourself on the couch as the comm ended, Hux ran a hand through his hair when he came out, his shirt wrinkled and collar stretched in his haste to pull it on.

“I have to go back to the Finalizer.” He said finally, sitting down in a tall-backed chair opposite you.

“Okay, when do we leave?”

“You’ll be staying here.” Your brow wrinkled in confusion. “I need someone to represent me at Senate functions over the next few days.”

“No way.” You protested, sitting up. “I’m coming with you.”

“You’ll do as you’re told.” You laughed humorlessly, but he stayed infallible.

“Want to bet?”

“Vicrul?” Hux called, and the man appeared from some dark corner of the penthouse, scythe in hand, standing at Hux’s side. “Keep her here while I’m away. Make sure she keeps her obligations.”

“Really?” You raised your eyebrows at both of them, “And what am I supposed to tell people when they ask where you are?”

“Tell them the truth.” Hux got up and gathered some of his things into his suitcase that had been dropped off by the elevator. “It’s emergency First Order business. I’ll be back before the election.” He stepped up to you, his hand on your cheek as you stared up defiantly at him. “Please?”

“Fine.” You pulled away from his touch. “But make no mistake, I’m staying behind only to spend time with _my_ people.” You started walking back to the bedroom, dropping the sheet halfway there, giving him a full view of your backside. “And if you keep lying to me, you’re going to pay for it.” The door slid shut behind you, and you rushed over to the closet, stuffed to the brim with dresses and tunics in your size. You dressed in all black, lacing up a pair of boots and pulling your hair up and out of your face. Little did Hux know, Vicrul was your knight, and you were going to track Hux to wherever he was going, because it sure as hell wasn’t the Finalizer. The door slid open just as you were finishing strapping your knife back to your thigh.

“Vicrul, we are-” You started without turning around, but it was not Vicrul’s voice that answered.

“Try again.” You whipped around; A tall, dark figure towered there, his face obscured by the shadowy darkness. But you didn’t need the flicker of firelight to fall over his face to know who it was. You could feel his energy reaching for you, wrapping around your body and constricting. You swallowed hard.

“Kylo.” You whispered, stepping back. He entered the room without a word, but as soon as you could see the look in his eyes, you knew you were in trouble. And the thought sent a thrill through your veins.


	22. Masks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your wedding night is interrupted by a familiar face...
> 
> TW: This chapter has some HEAVY smut. As usual, I will put an asterisk (*) at the end of that section if you would like to skip!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm overwhelmed at the love & support, THANK YOU!
> 
> Do yourself a favor, don't read this one in public. ;)

“Did you really think,” He began, herding you back toward the bed. “That I would just allow you to be fucked by someone else?”

“I’m married now.” You countered, attempting to steady your fluttering heart. “Do you really think I need your permission?” You ran into the edge of the bed and Kylo stopped before you, so close that you could feel that invisible energy crackling off of him with your own skin. Kylo smirked, a dangerous glint in his amber eyes, and the ache between your legs was back, now almost painful with need. He reached down to your thigh, your muscles tensing as you felt his touch, grabbing your new dagger from its holster. He held it up for inspection, then turned the blade toward you. It looked miniscule, like a child’s toy in his large fist.

“You are mine.” He stepped closer, forcing you to fall back on the bed. “You exist for my pleasure.” He climbed over you, sending a wave of the Force over your body, covering you in goosebumps. You frantically glanced over at the door, worried that any moment Hux would return, ruining what little validity there was to your marriage. “Look at me.” He demanded, using the point of your dagger to turn your chin back toward his face. “Don’t think about him.”

“But what if-” He moved the blade to your throat and pressed in with the sharp edge, threatening to slice into the thin layer of skin over your pulse.

“He won’t be back.” He leaned in, his cheek pressing against yours to whisper in your ear. “Who do you think caused the diversion?” You were suddenly frustrated, hooking your leg around his foot and flipping him over, landing on top of him with your dagger back in your own hand where it belonged.

“So it was you that interrupted my wedding night?” You ran the point of the blade over his lips, down his jaw, cutting a thin line down the column of his throat and watching little beads of blood drip down onto his collar. “A shame, really. I think I was about to give the performance of my life.” You watched the wicked amusement in his gaze shift to fury; he grabbed a fistful of your shirt to pull you down, face to face.

“Do you need another reminder of who owns you?” His eye twitched and you pressed your tongue into your cheek, grinning.

“Poor Hux didn’t even get to taste.” He gripped you tighter, your noses almost touching. “But you know how good I taste, don’t you? Is this what you meant when you said I should work things through in my marriage bed?” You heard the smack of his hand against your cheek before you felt the sting,

“Sluts like you never learn their lesson, do they?” He caressed your reddened skin, sliding down to wrap his hand around your throat. You groaned, leaning forward into his hand, squeezing his hips with your thighs.

“Do you want me to show you what I was going to do to Hux?” He tightened his grip, struggling to keep his breathing from becoming ragged. “You want me to show you how I was going to make my husband worship me?” He was solid against your backside, but he still growled with rage, sending you flying backwards off of him. You spun your dagger in your fingers, holding it up as he rushed toward you, ducking and rolling as you nimbly dodged his attempt to grab you. You crouched on the ground, sizing each other up from opposite ends of the room.

“You want to play?” He cocked his head as he spoke, dropping his black cloak from his shoulders, grabbing his lightsaber and igniting it with a flick of his wrist. You grinned, getting to your feet and gripping the handle of your knife loosely in your fingers. “Let’s play.” He held his lightsaber out at you, the red glinting ominously off his eyes.

“I thought you liked a fair fight.” You were skilled in combat, but there was no denying that your tiny dagger was no use against his saber.

“Your dagger is made of Beskar.” You spared a glance down at the glinting silver, turning it over, but noticed no special qualities. “Resistant to lightsaber attacks.”

“Even if that were true,” You started, pretending to further study the blade. “It’s far too small for a duel.” He relaxed his stance, beginning to lower his weapon. “Guess I’ll have to find another way.” You flicked your wrist, the dagger flying through the air right at Kylo’s chest. You’d thought he was unsuspecting, but he had his hand up to freeze it in midair nearly as soon as it had left your hand.

“You are untrained and arrogant.” He struck the frozen weapon with his saber and it clattered to the side, though, unharmed. Perhaps it was truly Beskar steel. “Surrender.” He flipped his lightsaber as he stepped toward you. “We both know how you like to get on your knees for me.”

“No.” You stood your ground until he was so close that you could feel the crackling heat from his weapon. You grabbed his forearms, summoning the Force to help you push him back, but his strength was too great. With one hand, he twisted you around, your back against his chest, a hand across your abdomen and his lightsaber just centimeters from your throat.

“Surrender.” He demanded again, sending a pulse of the Force through your body, then another so pleasurable that your knees went weak. “Surrender.” His voice was little more than a rough whisper at your ear, and you couldn’t help but look up over your shoulder at him. His lips were so pink, slightly parted, breath cool on your flushed skin. You couldn’t help yourself, you were too wound up, too weak to control your overwhelming desire for him, and your lips crashed together. He dropped his saber, the blade retracting as it hit the floor, and pulled you tight against him, chest to chest, nose to nose, your legs wrapping themselves around his waist. Your kisses were desperate, starving for closer contact, so blindly trying to get your bare skin against his that you barely noticed falling to the floor in front of the fire. You rolled onto your back, Kylo unbuttoning and pulling your pants down to your ankles, where you kicked them off onto the floor.

“I need you inside me.” You breathed, squirming as you felt his hands grab the back of your thighs, pushing your knees back by your shoulders. “Please, Kylo,”

“Look how easy you are to break.” He held your legs back, “One touch and you’ll do anything I say.” You arched up as he dragged his invisible Force touch over your clit, holding pressure until you sputtered for breath. “You were so eager to let Hux take you tonight, why do you think you deserve my cock?” He unzipped his pants, pulling it out and stroking it once. You whimpered, your body clenching, ready to receive him.

“I need it.” You moaned through clenched teeth. Kylo held out his hand and your dagger zoomed into it; you held your breath as he dragged the point up your thigh, cutting one side of your underwear, then the other. He flipped the knife, wrapping his hand around the sharp blade, teasing the hilt at your slit, sliding easily up to your clit. He shoved the hilt up inside you, your hands digging into the smooth flooring, scrambling for purchase. He spit down on your clit, circling it with his other hand while he pumped the knife slowly in and out of you.

“Fuck yourself with your knife.” He ordered, yanking your hand from your side to between your legs. The blade sliced at your hand as you wrapped your fingers around it, but you barely felt the pain. All you could feel was Kylo’s eyes on you, all you cared about was pleasing him. Blood dripped down your fingers onto the floor. “I want to watch you cum around it.” You increased the tempo of thrusting, adjusting the angle so it hit your most pleasurable spot. Kylo stood, absentmindedly pumping his cock as he watched you, his hand also streaked with blood from holding the blade. “Your thoughts are dirty, slut.” He said, his breathing quickened as you writhed from pleasure. “You want Hux to feel like you do right now.” He knelt down right by your face, pinching a nipple hard between his fingers. “Tell me how you feel.”

“I’m-” Your orgasm was building, you moaned a curse. “I’m yours. I do as you tell me.” Your legs started to shake.

“Good girl.” He caressed your face, smearing his blood down your jaw and neck. “You want Hux at your mercy?” You fell over the edge at the image that flooded your brain, in which you tied Hux’s hands over his head, riding and edging him until he begged for release. Kylo’s hand squeezed your throat as you finished, your body twitching as your moans died down. “Filthy whore.” Your cunt was so wet, contracting so hard from your orgasm that the knife slipped out of its own accord. It still wasn’t enough, you weren’t satisfied, you needed him to fill you up. You pulled yourself onto your knees, reaching for his cock as droplets of blood trailed up your forearm to your elbow.

“I find it hard to believe you didn’t come here to fuck me on my wedding night.” You put one hand on his chest, the other grabbing ahold of his cock, stroking, smearing it red. “Aren’t you going to take the General’s new wife before he has the chance to?” He grunted, his face turning hard, imperceptible.

“I don’t want him to fuck you.” You pushed him down onto his back, climbing on top of him.

“Do you want _me_ to fuck _him_?” You gasped as you sat down on him, giving yourself a moment to adjust to his girth, his length. He breathed a curse, gripping your hips with his nails. “Do you want to watch?” You tightened around him, placing your hands on the tops of his thighs as you rode him. He didn’t answer, but you could feel the heightened lust in gaze when he met your eyes. You slowed, grinding your hips with him deep inside of you. “Because I’m going to do it either way.” This seemed to bring Kylo back to the moment, lifting you by your waist and throwing you off of him. He took advantage of the fact that you landed on all fours, grabbing your hips and pulling you across the floor to him, so hard that your knees burned. He railed into you, reaching over your back to grab you by the throat, pulling you up to lean against his chest, grabbing your jaw and angling your ear toward his mouth.

“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. You want to feel like me?” He thrusted deep, making you gasp as the pleasure edged with pain. “You’re going to make Hux get on his knees and beg for you.” You grinned, sucking his fingers into your mouth as he angled your hips for his pleasure. He tasted like leather and metal, his gasps and moans in your ear bringing you closer to another orgasm. “And then you’re going to tease him until he misbehaves.” He brought the Force to your clit and your throat at the same time, his cock slamming faster into you. “And then you’ll punish him.” He released your airway the moment you tipped over into your second orgasm, his cock twitching and erupting in the same moment. It took you both several minutes to recover, pleasure pulsing through your body in shockwaves. You turned to look at him, both breathing heavily, spattered with blood and sweat. The lust, the excitement, faded gradually away, but you couldn’t stop looking at him, you needed his skin to keep touching yours.

* You breathed in, trying to keep your trembling fingers steady as you reached out to take his hand. He stared down at your fingers intertwined with his, like he didn’t know what to think. You dared not speak, fully aware that you were prone to saying the wrong thing, to piss him off so royally that he would rip away from your grip, the moment ruined. You tugged him upright, leading him toward the bathroom, every backwards step feeling like a miracle. The bathroom was a giant room, complete with two sinks, a vanity, and a walk in shower, but you didn’t care about any of those things. You dropped his hand but not his eyes, sitting on the edge of a large, porcelain bathtub, turning on the tap. Kylo’s gaze stripped you bare, beyond just your naked flesh. You stood, so hesitantly fingering the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head, touching his bare chest like you’d never felt his skin. Steam billowed through the room, fogging the air between you as you stepped backward into the white tub. You held out your hand for him to join you, watching the deliberation in his eyes, the hesitation that almost had him turning around to leave the room, the hotel, maybe even the planet entirely. But in the end, he stepped into the warm water with you.

You sat down behind him, trying to work up the nerve to look at him, to touch him. All of the volatility and intimidation seemed to evaporate with the steam, leaving a shell of the person he projected to the world; but this, you decided, was seeing him the most clearly. You’d never voice it aloud, but this was Ben, this was what was left when Kylo was stripped away. You both wore masks, projecting out a persona to hide your pain, to cope with it. And your masks meshed so well together, every gnarled edge and cracked corner seemed to fit like two halves of some screwed up, unholy pair. He wasn’t looking at you when you finally found it in yourself to glance up, but you reached out anyway, bringing a palmful of water to run down his muscled back, riddled with scars. The water stung at the slices on your hand. He shuddered, looking just slightly back, so you could see the outline of his side profile, the bold nose, the curve of his lips, the crease between his brows. You brought more water up to his hair, the sweat and condensation causing small clumps to stick to the skin on his neck and shoulders, and he caught your wrist with his hand.

“Let me.” You murmured, and though it was not an order, his grip went limp. He leaned back against your chest, allowing you to wet the rest of his hair, to lather it with shampoo, let the water run red as his body became clean. You forgot about Hux for a while, about the Senate, about Leia, Snoke, the First Order, the Resistance. There was no galaxy, there was only this bathtub, there was only Kylo and you.

You were terrified to close your eyes, privy to some inner knowing that the moment you did he would leave you. You knew this moment of intimacy would never come again, you were sure you’d never have the chance to be so far away from prying eyes, for him to let his guard down like this. Your eyes eventually drifted closed despite yourself, your arm draped over his chest, enveloped in warmth. You stirred awake when Kylo stood, the lukewarm water dripping from his pale skin. You watched him dress, an intense longing gripping your bones, a feeling you couldn’t quite comprehend- or, at least, you refused to try. He froze when you stepped onto the cold floor, letting water fall in a large puddle under your feet. You trembled in the cool air, the absence of Kylo’s body pressed against yours feeling somehow like a mortal wound.

“You could stay,” The words falling from your lips were barely audible, your entire body tensed, bracing for the words you knew he would say. When he turned, you saw the exact moment that the Kylo mask slipped back over his face, his eyes cold and cruel.

“I thought you were married now,” He sneered, looking down on you with a mocking pity. “Sleeping in that bed alone is what you deserve.” Something inside of you, already spider-webbed with cracks, shattered in your chest. He swept out of the room, leaving you standing there, dripping, shaking, broken, alone.

If someone asked you what had happened at the Senate gatherings, parties, and meetings you attended over the next few days, you would have no answer for them. You’d waited for the sting of tears to hit your eyes for three whole days, but none came. Everything felt numb, blurry around the edges, time seemed to pass either in droves of lost hours or not at all.

“Are you in there?” Your eyes widened, turning to face the person addressing you, calling your name and tapping at your shoulder.

“Hmm?” You were walking down a faintly familiar hallway with Leia, your feet moving you forward without consciously knowing your destination.

“I asked you where Hux has been. He does realize our meeting before the election committee is tonight, doesn’t he?” The thought of your husband made your throat tighten and ache, because to think of him was to think of Kylo, and thoughts of him made you want to retreat back into yourself and never come out. “He didn’t… you didn’t-” A spark of normalcy brought a small smile to your lips.

“You think I killed him already?” Leia chuckled, albeit a little nervously. “You wound me, I plan on getting a little use out of him first.” Now she really laughed, sensing a fraction of color and life coming back into your mind, giving you a knowing look. “He left the night of the wedding, but he said he would be back before the election. I’m keeping his appointments for him.”

“He didn’t say why he was leaving?”

“First Order business.” You relayed, a cloud of guilt falling over you for not pressing for more information, for the distraction that had kept you occupied for so long. You told her about the snippets of conversation you’d overheard with Snoke, her expression contemplative.

“Perhaps you could comm him. A dutiful wife checking in on her husband?” She raised her eyebrows at you as she spoke.

“And I’m nothing if not a dutiful wife.” You sighed, ducking into a semi-secluded alcove and pulling out your datapad. Leia continued on, leaving you to your business, something you appreciated about her- she didn’t pry. You felt a prickling of pain as Hux’s blue-tinged form appeared hovering above your pad, greeting you with a subdued grin.

“I’ll be returning this evening.” He said without prompting, a note of disappointment in his tone.

“Very well,” You replied, a little stiffly. The reality was that you weren’t sure what your reaction would be to seeing him again, not after everything that had transpired the night of your wedding. “Leia tells me you have an appearance before the election committee tonight. Shall I expect you before or after?”

“I’ve arranged for a late dinner for us tonight.” He looked away, grinding his teeth for a moment. “An apology dinner.” Discomfort swirled in your gut.

“You know I don’t need one.” Apologies and fine dining created potential for all sorts of situations you did not plan on finding yourself in, least of all with him. If it was up to you, you’d be in bed, feigning sleep when Hux returned to your room at the Capitol building, putting everything off at least one more day. And by then it would be so close to the election that Hux would be far too consumed to think of anything else.

“At least allow me to buy you dinner to prove my sincerest apologies for leaving you alone on our wedding night.” Another guilty bubble settled in your abdomen. Hux’s voice turned to a low whisper, “I’ve been able to think of little else.” He admitted, sparking your memory with that feeling of power, of owning him like Kylo owned you. “I’ve imagined it a million different ways,” Even in the hue of the holo, you could see the color creep over his cheeks. “You consume my ev-”

“I’ll see you tonight.” You ended the comm before he could say another word, deepening your embarrassment. His flattery won him no points with you, something he clearly didn’t understand. As you straightened your shirt and strode back out into the empty hallway, a low chuckle made you roll your eyes.

“I wonder if he’s imagined the way Kylo took his place when he-” Your hand was out slamming Vicrul against the wall with the Force before you could muster a rational thought. Your dagger was in your hand, pressing against the small strip of his throat that was exposed between his mask and armor.

“Would you like to finish that sentence?” You warned, narrowing your eyes at the masked Knight, attempting to burn holes through the steel with the amount of fire in your gaze.

“Simmer down, people are staring.” You exhaled sharply, resheathing your blade and releasing him, casting a glare at the groups of two or three who had stopped to stare as a girl of your stature held such a large man up against the wall, seemingly with just one hand. They scattered like birds. “You have to be more careful. If they’d seen you use the Force, it would likely become public knowledge.”

“Oh, spare me. Why is it such a big secret anyway? Surely there are plenty of Force-sensitive beings left in the galaxy.” Vicrul fell into step beside you and huffed, his hands swinging loosely at his sides.

“Those with power have only one fear: someone who can take it from them.”

“Nice and cryptic.” You packed into an elevator with at least six others, falling silent as it shot smoothly upwards. As irritating as he was, it was a measured improvement over the last few days; after Kylo had left, Vicrul had burst into the bathroom, scythe humming with electricity and murder in his eyes, demanding to know what had happened. You’d been standing there for an indeterminate amount of time, waiting to feel Kylo’s presence again, not wrapping yourself in a towel or dressing, even when the water dripping from your hair turned icy down your back. That was how Vicrul found you, raving about how he’d been knocked unconscious. When he finally cooled long enough to notice your state, he knew what had happened, who had come. Without a word, he helped you dress, put you in the bed, and seated himself in the corner of the room, apparently unsatisfied with his former position outside the door. And he hadn’t spoken to you at all until today.

The elevator arrived on your floor, and Vicrul stepped out before you, looking in either direction before motioning you to follow. You sent a message to Leia on your datapad as you neared your room, Vicrul, his helmet now tucked under his arm, holding the door open for you. You ignored him, unable to bear the mischievous glint in his eyes that you knew would follow you everywhere tonight. Hereanula and Novaethele were standing side by side in the room you would be sharing with Hux, much larger than the one you’d taken by yourself. It had pieces of fine art hanging on the walls, a small kitchen, an office, and a receiving area for guests, a dark navy and jade color scheme that seemed far too cheerful to be associated with the First Order. Your attendants greeted you in their cool, airy way, their golden faces uncovered, but their shapeless purple robes covering them from throat to foot.

“Master Hux would like us to prepare you for dinner this evening.” Novaethele said, her sister inclining her head as a show of respect.

“Let’s get this over with.” You sighed, allowing them to pull you into the grand bathroom.

You felt like you were dressing for your wedding all over again, what with the gravity-defying cream colored dress that was short in the front, but layered out in the back with a giant, stiff skirt. Hereanula shoved your legs into silver over-the-knee boots that matched the three metallic bands cinching around your waist.

“This is worse than the wedding dress.” You frowned, turning to observe the extra two feet of space that was now needed for anyone walking behind you. Even Novaethele tried to stifle a small giggle, painting your lips a pale pink. “Isn’t there anything else?”

“There is not.” Hereanula grinned at you. “I did try to pick something else but I was overruled.”

“Next time you go shopping, I’m coming.” You sucked in a breath, your ankles already wobbling as you stepped off the pedestal in the closet. You walked out, Vicrul’s eyebrows immediately shooting up when he scanned your body. You sucked in on your teeth, shaking your head furiously at him.

“I didn’t say anything!” He protested, following into step beside you.

“And you’re not going to say anything because you’re staying here.” You whirled to face him, and he nearly ran into you.

“Nice try, but that’s not going to happen.” He stared you down, your stubbornness in great competition with his.

“I’m going to meet Hux and I don’t want your judgy eyes watching me all night.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “Besides, Hux will have plenty of guards, more than enough for the both of us.”

“Those stormtroopers who can’t hit a target with their blasters to save their lives?” Vicrul’s lips curved into a smirk. “I don’t think so.”

“Maybe they can’t, but my aim is spot on.”

“You should back down. This is not a fight you’ll win.”

“I thought you were my knight? I thought you took orders from me, and not the other way around?” You sighed, pushing past him and attempting to fit out the door in your ridiculous dress. “I’m going to kill Hux.” You finally pushed through, nearly tearing the skirt on the frame.

“And you expect to be able to defend yourself in this monstrosity?” Vicrul snorted, exaggerating the effort it took not to step on your train.

“Want me to put a knife in your neck and find out?”

“So touchy.” He replaced his helmet, walking beside you to the elevators.

You reached the loading deck, where a small, covered ship was waiting for you. Vicrul helped shove your skirts in, and you held out a hand, shoving him at least ten feet back with the Force.

“Go!” You yelled to the captain, who jumped at your volume, but the ship lifted from the ground. You waved at Vicrul, who had already picked himself up off the ground, giving you a very rude gesture and taking off inside. It wouldn’t be long until he caught up, but it would buy you a few minutes of peace. Your dagger was strapped to your thigh as usual, hidden under the folds of the cropped front of the dress, the easy reach being the only benefit. You took a deep breath as you stepped off onto the platform of the restaurant, wobbling a little in your heels, but steadied yourself on the side of the ship. The exterior of the restaurant was beautiful; the walls painted white brick, hollowed out sections revealing picturesque sculptures from some of the best artists in the galaxy. At least you’d get your money’s worth in apology food. You spotted Hux just outside the door, his red hair standing out against the crowd of people exiting. A few of them pointed and whispered at you, probably making fun of your dress. You grimaced at Hux, trying to navigate through the crowd of bodies that seemed to walk straight at you, refusing to make a path. They’d be knocked off their feet by the skirt if they weren’t careful. You pushed your way through them, all dressed in black, all wearing some sort of mask or headdress that obscured their face. In hindsight, it should have been your first clue that something was off. When the knife went into your abdomen, you didn’t feel the pain right away, looking down and watching the blood bloom over your cream gown as though in slow motion. You fell to your knees as the crowd dissipated, starting to hyperventilate as sharp pangs started radiating from your middle. You looked over your shoulder, seeing a mid-size figure breaking from the group, taking off toward an awaiting ship that idled next to the ledge. You cried out as you leaned forward, adrenaline making the pain just barely tolerable. You grabbed your own dagger from your thigh, throwing it at the retreating figure’s back. It struck them before Hux even got to you, the world coming back into regular speed. Hux knelt beside you, panic stricken.

“Someone grab him!” Hux screamed at the stormtroopers who stood awkwardly behind him, pointing at the assailant, who was flat on the ground, unmoving. You’d hit them straight in the chest.

“Shit!” You wheezed, grabbing onto the handle and preparing yourself for the pain that would come from pulling it out. Your skin burned white hot, tears falling from your face as blinding pain shot through your entire body.

“You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be alright, just stay calm.” Hux smoothed his hand over your hair, rambling on and shushing you. You were lying in a puddle of blood when Vicrul finally arrived and shoved Hux away from you.

“What the fuck happened?” Vicrul looked down at your hand on the knife handle. “Don’t pull that out, are you crazy?” Your vision was swimming. Someone picked you up off the ground, the scenery above you changing from the night sky to the top of a ship.

“Am I dying?” You asked, bright white lights flashing from somewhere far above. Something bright red interrupted your field of vision, someone speaking to you, but it was far away. You closed your eyes, blinking a few times before they became too heavy to keep open. Then everything went dark.


	23. The Boys Are Back In Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The election looms as you recover from your assassination attempt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m crying, y’all. Thanks for all the love, votes, and comments. 
> 
> Things are getting intense as hell this week! Hope you enjoy. I know I did ;)

Everything was on fire when you came to, your throat dry and your skin soaked through with sweat. You blinked, squinting through bright lights that burned your eyes, a groan slipping from your lips. Memories began flooding back, you groped at your abdomen for the handle of a knife, but found only a wrapped bandage. A shadow fell over you, and you found yourself gazing up at Trudgen.

“Awake?” He asked, his calculating brown eyes roving over your face, then down your body. Your eyes widened.

“What are you doing here?” You voice was gravelly, throat aching on each word like you’d swallowed sandpaper. Ap’lek came up on the other side of the bed, then Vicrul took his spot at the end.

“The boys are back in town.” Vicrul grinned, then turned a serious gaze on you. “So much for you being able to defend yourself.”

“I believe I put a dagger through the heart of the assailant.” You huffed, trying not to think of the conversation that had to have occurred for Trudgen and Ap’lek to be here right now. Your heart beat faster in your chest.

“That you did. And by doing so snuffed out our only suspect in your assassination attempt.”

“General Hux requested to be notified as soon as she woke. I’ll do the honors.” Ap’lek said, striding out of the room with the door sliding shut behind him. You groaned, knowing when he came to your side, you wouldn’t have a moment of peace.

“Could he not? I’m not in the mood to be fussed over.” You grimaced again as you attempted to shift, pain stinging up into your chest.

“Normally I’d oblige, but since this whole ordeal is your own fault, you get to suffer through Hux.” Vicrul smirked as you scowled. “He’s been in a right state. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Can you at least send someone to come and sedate me before he gets here?” You found a cup full of fresh ice on your bedside table, and you shook some into your mouth, closing your eyes as the moisture hit your palate.

“Not a chance.” You laid back against your pillow, preparing for the worst. But nothing could have quite prepared you for the ginger whirlwind that came thundering in, his accusatory stare on you.

“Do you have any idea how close I came to losing you?” He sat down on the edge of your bed, while Trudgen and Vicrul faded into the background. “You can’t slip your guard like that, not ever again.” You sighed, looking down at the green comforter, unable to meet his intense gaze. He grabbed your chin, hard enough to get your attention, but not to cause you pain. Not like Kylo. You finally glanced up, his thumb stroking your cheek. “Do you understand me?”

“Who was it that tried to kill me? And why?” You pulled yourself up, bracing your wound with your palm and leaning back against the propped pillows. Hux sighed, pulling back his hand and giving you a hard look.

“The Bothan you killed carried no identification. I personally searched the databases of the New Republic with a sample of his DNA but there was no match. He was likely hired by an outside party.” You huffed, resisting a strong urge to peel back the tape on your bandage and assess the damage for yourself. Every breath sent shooting pains up your ribs, so it was likely you’d be in for a difficult recovery.

“I killed the one who stabbed me, but what about the others? He was camouflaged by a group of at least ten.” Memories flashed in bits and pieces, Hux’s terrified attempt to comfort you, Vicrul’s commanding tone, the strong scent of antiseptic and a roaring fire of pain blazing at every movement.

“I had them detained and questioned. They are the delegation from the Beheboth system. They had no idea who the assassin was.” You narrowed your eyes, because of course they would say that.

“I questioned them.” Vicrul butted in, something final in his tone, authoritative. “The assassin worked alone.”

“Why go for me? Why murder the senator’s wife and not the senator?” You asked, taking another mouthful of ice chips and letting the cold soothe your aching throat.

“A question we could have asked the assailant had you not killed him.” Vicrul grumbled, shooting daggers at you.

“Well, I’m sorry, Vicrul. I’d just been stabbed in the stomach. How would you like me to have reacted?” You sneered, clenching your jaw as pain took your breath away.

“I would have liked for you to use some common sense. To maim and not to kill. Clearly you need further tr-” Hux, who’d stayed tight-lipped during this exchange, finally decided to intervene. You were half ready to leap out of the bed and throw a punch no matter how much pain it would cause.

“This is not productive. Vicrul, send for a med-droid, then you and Trudgen can both wait outside the door. I will notify you if we are in need of your assistance.” Vicrul fixed you with a heavy, irritated stare before following his brother out, leaving you alone with Hux. You suddenly weren’t sure where to look, feeling a tightness in your stomach that had nothing to do with your injury. He caught one of your hands, bringing the tips of your fingers to his lips, finally resting his forehead down on them, as though bowing his head in prayer.

“I spent a lot of time as a child being afraid, and even now, as an adult.” He started, his face still obscured. “But seeing you go down, watching you bleed out on the ground…” He trailed off, his tone throaty and raw, then looked up and shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m saying.” You reached out with your free hand and touched his face, his cheeks stained pink as he leaned into your touch.

“Hux,” You murmured, though you could think only in flashes of Kylo. “Armitage,” You said his first name slowly, the taste of it strange and bitter coming off your tongue. You watched the desire burn in his gaze.

“It’s my fault. I’ve put you in danger. “ He kissed your palm, climbing fully into the bed with you and allowing you to rest up against his shoulder. For a moment, you closed your eyes, pretending it was three days earlier, that you’d just gotten out of the bath, that Kylo had stayed. You hated him. You hated how much control he had over you, the way he made you feel so out of control, but most of all, you hated yourself. And maybe that was the reason that the tears welled up in your eyes, trying your best to keep your breathing steady as they fell in heavy drops down your cheeks. “I keep asking myself if I did the wrong thing by marrying you.” Hux continued after a few minutes of silence. “And maybe this is foolish for me. I’ve never had something that could be taken away from me.” It was as good as a confession of his love. Everything felt tense and tight, like you couldn’t get in a full breath. His skin against yours was hot and smothering. You needed to get up, to go outside, to go anywhere away from him. At that moment, the med droid wheeled in, muttering a greeting in its mechanical drawl.

“Your heart rate and respirations are elevated. Are you in pain?” It asked after taking a moment to assess you. You didn’t hesitate to nod, turning your attention to the IV drip that was hanging next to your bed, watching the droid inject a clear filled syringe into the tubing. You felt the room spin almost at once, and then the sweet, empty darkness took you.

The room was bathed in inky shadows when you woke, jumping to realize that someone was breathing evenly next to you. You groaned softly with the sharp pain from the sudden movement, gripping your abdomen, staring at Hux sleeping soundly next to you in the bed. You looked around for some indication of the time, or even what day it was. You had no idea how long you’d been asleep. Your throat ached, and you downed the entire glass of water that was sitting on the bedside table. When you turned to set the glass down, something shuddered in the darkness out of the corner of your eye. No. No, no, no. It was not possible for Kylo Ren to be standing in the corner of your room. Not when you were lying here next to Hux, his arm draped across your hips. You dared not speak, not even as he stepped into the thin strip of moonlight that was shining in through the thick slatted blinds. You pinched your arm, hoping that maybe this was a dream, some opioid induced nightmare that you could wake from.

“You’re awake.” He said, all the usual harshness smoothed and softened out. Your bottom lip trembled as you shook your head, silently willing him away. He did not oblige.

“Get out.” Your voice was barely a whisper, and not just because of Hux. “You can’t be here.”

“I _shouldn’t_ be here.” He corrected, his dark eyes sweeping over you, catching on Hux’s arm. “And I’m not.” He held out his hand to hover above the bed. “Not really.” His hand went through the mattress and came out the side. You breathed a sigh of relief. “You visited me like this once before, I’m only returning the favor.” You stared at each other in turn for an entire minute before he spoke again. “You almost died.”

“Did I?” You retorted, tone dripping with sarcasm. “Wouldn’t it have been great if they’d finished the job? One less item for your to-do list?” Kylo had the nerve to smile, a dimple appearing on his right cheek, shaking his head.

“The things that come out of that mouth of yours.” You glared at him. “It’s one of my favorite things about you.”

“Don’t.” Something twisted deep in your stomach, a feeling you refused to acknowledge. “Don’t say things like that to me.”

“Why? Are you afraid of how you really feel? Are you afraid to admit how close you are to abandoning the Resistance altogether and joining me?”  
“I’m not. You don’t know me.” You blinked a few tears down your cheek. “You don’t know anything.” You hated this; he shouldn’t see you cry, he shouldn’t be able to make you cry.

“I have a theory.” He stepped even closer to the bed, reaching out his hand toward you. “The Force works so strangely around you.” You tensed, clenching your muscles as you tried to scoot away from him. Hux stirred, removing his arm and turning in his sleep, but did not wake. “I think that if you wanted me to touch you, I could.”

“I don’t.” But it was too late, you felt his hand on your face, wiping a stray tear from your cheek. He held up his fingers to observe it, a perfect droplet at the tip of his thumb.

“Hmm,” He murmured, sighing as he wiped the moisture away with his other fingers. “You should return to the Finalizer where you’ll be safe.”

“If there was ever a way to ensure that I don’t do something, it would be for you to tell me to do it.” You rolled your eyes, taking in a deep breath. “Why do you even care?” You didn’t know what you wanted him to say, what you were trying to get him to admit to you, but you still held your breath as you waited for him to reply.

“It’s hard to protect someone who is constantly fighting everyone’s efforts to keep them alive.” He snapped, the light that had filled his eyes going cold and distant once again. “This attempt on your life won’t be the last.” His gaze drifted over to Hux. “He can’t protect you like I can.” You moved so quickly to stand, to argue, that you forgot you were injured. You sat on the side of the bed, a rush of nausea following the debilitating pain that had you clutching your wound, breathing for a minute before you could respond.

“You left. I asked you to stay, and you left.” You were furious. How dare he say this to you now, after everything? But to acknowledge this anger meant acknowledging that he’d hurt you, and that was unacceptable. Someone touched your back from behind and you flinched, wrenching your eyes from Kylo and turning to look at Hux, who’d woken and had a concerned look on his face.

“Who are you talking to?” You tensed, turning back to Kylo in alarm.

“He can’t see me.” Hux began rubbing your lower back, his hand slipping under your shirt to touch your bare skin.

“It’s nothing.” You said over your shoulder to Hux, “I just had a nightmare.” Hux sat up behind you, pressing his lips to your shoulder, very gently and hesitantly moving your hair away from your neck. Kylo tracked his movements, a hard set to his jaw.

“What can I do?” Hux asked, his gaze clear and sparkling into yours. You spared a glance at Kylo while you answered.

“Kiss me.” Kylo swallowed hard, balling his hand into a fist, and then Hux’s lips were on yours, his hand soft and supportive on your cheek. His tongue was hesitant to enter your mouth, but your teeth grazed his bottom lip, and he lost his resolve. You turned to climb into his lap, ignoring the screaming pain from your injury, wrapping your legs around his waist and one hand over his neck, the other bracing your wound that threatened to take your breath. There was a voice at your ear, and it wasn’t Hux.

“He won’t be enough. Not for you.” You shivered, pulling away and looking back over your shoulder, but Kylo was gone.

You spent most of the next day in bed, Trudgen opening your door only to admit the med droid. Your bandage had been changed today, when you learned that they’d had to surgically repair the internal bleeding. The skin was stitched together, pink and puckered in a thin, two inch line which would add a brand new scar to your collection once it healed. You were finally able to get up and walk, at least to the bathroom, that afternoon. The amount of effort and heavy breathing it took to simply take a few steps was embarrassing, but Trudgen reminded you that you’d just had major surgery. It still didn’t make you feel any better. Your stomach had started to rumble around dinner time when the door opened, but it was not the med droid with yet another unappetizing bowl of broth.

“I just heard that you were awake.” Leia rushed in, sitting on the edge of your bed and gripping your hand tightly. “I was so worried.”

“I’m fine.” You grimaced as you sat up straighter, pulling your hand out of hers. She gave you a sheepish look, pulling at a loose thread on the side seam of her pants as she contemplated her next words.

“I suppose I owe you an explanation.” She looked over her shoulder at Trudgen, who was standing next to the door, still as a statue.

“You can wait outside, Trudgen.” You felt the prickles of the irritated stare he gave you under his mask, but he obliged. Leia waited until the door slid shut behind him, then sighed.

“I didn’t realize I had been nominated until a few weeks ago. I’d planned on telling you right when it happened, but then Hux proposed, and Dane reacted the way he did.” You looked down at your hands, remembering the cruel words he’d said to you just before your wedding. “So I waited, and it just didn’t seem right to tell you over the comm. I spoke with Hux and we agreed that you were under a lot of pressure. I didn’t want to upset you.”

“So,” You began after a few heartbeats of contemplation, “I’m unable to handle more than one piece of information at a time?” Leia’s face fell, like she’d been hoping you’d understand, that you’d take her explanation without question. “You really thought that I wouldn’t go through with marrying Hux just because you’re running for Chancellor?” You felt the Force threatening to burst from you, and you barely controlled your breathing.

“No, I- of course not-” Her brown eyes searched yours, feeling the waves of rage coming from you. She was afraid.

“What more can I do to prove that I’m giving my all for the Resistance? I took every beating, every insult from my father, I used all of the anger to become the best soldier you have. I gave up my home to go live on the Finalizer, I gave up what could have been love to marry someone I barely know! I almost gave up my life!” Your voice broke. “I would give my life for this cause.” You felt the floor tremble, and Leia reached out to steady you. “So when will it be enough? When have I given enough to be worthy of the truth?”

“I’m sorry.” Leia breathed, her eyes red and glassy, “It was a mistake, if I could take it back-” The pieces of art on the wall shook, threatening to fall.

“Just leave. I don’t want to bring this whole building down.” Leia stood, genuine regret in her stare.

“I was only doing what I thought was right in the moment.” You shook your head, trying to close your eyes and control your hyperventilation.

“Just go!” You screamed at her, fighting the urge to throw her out with the Force. You felt no pain as you stood, pace nearly a jog as you entered the bathroom, leaning over the sink. Rage seeped from every pore in your body, so much so that when you looked up at yourself in the mirror, it shattered into a hundred tiny pieces. You jumped back, a strangled cry coming from your throat, stepping over sharp shards of glass to turn on the shower, stripping your clothes. You stepped under the icy water, the shock of the temperature forcing you to breathe, to focus on something else. Still, your anger smoldered in embers under your skin, peppered with goosebumps, though the ground had stopped quaking. You sat on the floor of the shower, shivering, letting the water roll in freezing streams down your face, your back, penetrating so deeply you almost felt your soul cool and harden. This wasn’t what you’d envisioned when you were growing up, dreaming of faraway front lines, dangerous, stealthy missions where you narrowly avoided being caught. You never imagined in a million years that you’d be married, let alone to an enemy, not being trusted enough to handle even the smallest pieces of information from your own organization. It was madness. It was ridiculous. It was… probably no less than you deserved. Whether Leia knew or not was irrelevant, you’d already betrayed her trust by training with Snoke.

When she saw you, young, out of control, Force-sensitive, she likely saw her son, no longer the boy that she abandoned, but a man stripped of everything she’d tried to instill. Stripped of all goodness, all light. Of course she was afraid to train you. Deep down, you knew that she was aware of your ancestry, of the power of the Sith that ran through your veins, the same that ran through her own, through her son’s. Logically, it made sense. It was clear how easily you were set off. But it was hard to think logically when everything felt so damn raw, when it all felt like a personal attack. You had no idea how long you sat under the stream, but your teeth were chattering when Vicrul burst in, glass cracking into dust under his boots as he shut off the water and wrapped you in a towel.

“Are you insane?” He picked you up, carrying you back to bed and tucking you under the covers. “Your lips are blue.” He stormed over to your closet and pulled out a long sleeve shirt, fleece-lined pants, and a pair of thick socks. He sat on the edge of the bed, toweling off your hair and pulling back the blanket when the door opened, admitting your husband. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes roaming over your naked body, still wracked with shivers, Vicrul’s close proximity.

“What’s going on here?” Hux’s voice was too calm, eyes narrowed to slits.

“Your wife was about ten minutes away from hypothermic shock.” Vicrul spat, continuing to pull your shirt over your head without a backwards glance. His touch was hot on your skin, tingling with numbness. “As if being stabbed through the stomach wasn’t enough, she felt the need to court death a second time.” The bed bowed as Hux sat down on the other side of you, his fingers burning as he touched your arm.

“What happened?” He helped Vicrul pull the pants over your hips, slide the socks onto your feet, then pulled the blankets over you. Vicrul gave you a last once-over, then left out the door as Hux kicked off his shoes and pulled you into him, all of the nerves in your body prickling painfully as you returned to a normal temperature. “You’re so cold.” You tucked your legs, sliding your frozen feet between his thighs.

“I d-d-didn’t m-mean t-t-t-to.” Your teeth chattered again as you spoke, causing you to stutter. “I lost c-c-control.”

“I don’t want to lose you.” He put his hand behind your neck and pressed his forehead against yours, stilling your trembling. You were warm enough now that the pain from your wound returned in full force, causing you to wince. “Did something upset you?”

“Leia came by.” You whispered after a moment of hesitation. “I was angry. I didn’t want to hurt anyone else.” You sucked in a breath as a wave of pain knocked the words out your mouth. “I break everything I touch.”

“That’s a lie.” He forced your head up, to look into his stare. “You don’t.” You tried to look away, but he held your face firm. “Don’t let your father win. Don’t start to believe the abhorrent lies he told you.”

“But what if he was right?” Discomfort slid through you like an oily snake, being vulnerable felt wrong, not when you’d spent so long burying the truth of how you felt. “What if I’m just a disappointment?”

“You’re not.” He smoothed your damp hair, pressing his lips against your temple and pulling you into the crook of his neck. “Don’t ever think that.” You laid like that, bodies entwined, warm and comfortable, for a long time. “Will you stand with me tomorrow during the vote?” He asked, his eyes closed, cool breath hitting your skin.

“Yes.” You answered immediately, wondering how it would feel to watch Hux and Leia pitted against each other. He smiled, and before you knew it, you both drifted off to sleep.

Hux was dressed and ready to head down to the senate floor when you woke, giving you a cheerful grin when you opened your eyes.

“Good morning.” He had to rush out of the room, brushing the side of your face with his gentle fingers and promising you that he’d see you later. It was Election Day, and he had last minute meetings to attend. Your datapad chirped on your side table, and you picked it up, scrolling to your notifications. A flashing headline caught your eye, reading: Leia Organa, Daughter of Darth Vader. You gasped, frantically scrolling to get to the article.

_A source close to the Alderaanian now-Senator reports that she might not be an Organa after all, at least by blood. Could it be true that her true father is Darth Vader, former leader of the fascist Empire regime and Sith Lord?_

_‘I know for a fact that it’s true, no matter how she has tried to cover it up.’ Says our source, who has chosen to remain anonymous. ‘And now she wants to be voted in as Chancellor? Sounds like a power grab to me.’_

_Is this a move to further her deceased father’s agenda? Do the dying flames of the Empire live on in Darth Vader’s daughter?_

You threw the datapad on the bed, scoffing. When you found out who leaked the news to the holonet, and you would, they would have some explaining to do. This, coming out the day of the election,was devastating to Leia’s campaign and would only increase Hux’s chances. The thought made you shudder. Even without Leia running, you had never thought of an outcome where Hux actually won, where he became Chancellor and could exercise his authority not only over the First Order, but over the entire galaxy. Part of you wondered how much control you could have over him in that situation; it was becoming obvious that he had real feelings for you, but his scouring for power was endless. That kind of hunger didn’t go away just because he craved what you had to offer between your legs.

“Miss?” Hereanula broke you out of your thoughts, the sisters having snuck in with barely a sound.

They dressed you, taking great care around your wound, which was open to air now. Your dress today was simple elegance, a stretchy black material that was easy to move in, falling to the floor with a slit up your side. If you had to run or fight, you would be able to. They laced up brand new boots, slim and fitted with a small heel. Your hair was coiled up high on your head and on your neck a slim black choker adorned with a red gem. The mirror had not been replaced from when you’d broken it, but you knew you looked every bit of a senator’s wife. And soon, you thought as Ap’lek and Vicrul flanked you in the elevator down to the Senate chambers, you might very well be a Chancellor’s wife.


End file.
